My Little Pony: Through Space and Time
by Russian Blue Witch
Summary: Not based on Doctor Who. The ponies embark on a new study of magic that takes them through space and time. Truths will be uncovered, ponies will grow closer, and evils will arise from beyond the stars. Rated K plus for mild action scenes. Image made with Generalzoi's pony creator.
1. Arc 1 Chapter 1: Not so Rare

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1: What Have We Become?**

**Chapter 1: Not So Rare**

"So, is it true?" Rarity demanded.

Twilight Sparkle turned away from the gemstones she'd been arranging. "Is what true?"

"Are you really trying to make a portal to Canterlot? In your library?" Rarity seemed unable to contain her excitement at the possibility.

Twilight Sparkle shrugged. "It probably won't work. Unicorns have been trying to set up permanent portals for generations. I'm simply adding another stone to the path."

"But it would be so _exciting!_" Rarity cooed. "I could do shopping for supplies in Canterlot, produce the outfits in my own studio, and sell them to both markets! I could become an Equestrian-wide designer!"

"I _said,_ it probably _won't work_," Twilight said. "Spike! Don't eat that!"

Spike set the emerald down. "S-sorry?"

"That's for the portal! Your lunch is over there!" She pointed to another room.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Twilight..."

"Now I have to get another one," Twilight sighed. "Better take a book for the road." She began looking through the shelves.

Rainbow Dash burst through the door. "Hi guys! I'm done with another Daring Do book!"

"Oh-" Twilight turned aside. "Sorry, I moved those books to another room- we got a new shipment of books a while ago. Gosh, you finish these books fast!"

"Fast? You bet! I'm the speed reader of Equestria!"

Rainbow and Twilight moved to the next room.

Alone, Rarity looked at the gemstones. She didn't see why so many were necessary... she'd heard they focused magic, though. Some were pulsing light, some were fading from color to color. Very exotic- she'd need to get one of the gemstones that shifted from lavender to rose. A dress design was churning in her mind. She levitated it to get a closer look- then thought maybe she shouldn't have done that, as it instantly changed to an icy blue and stayed there. So did some of the other gems. She put it back hastily, in the process tipping it over and sending it rolling into the center of the circle. It spun around like it was playing spin the bottle, and finally pointed at a bright red gem and shot a beam of pink light toward it. All the gems in the circle gleamed first red, the orange...

Rarity backed off.

The gems finally cycled through the whole rainbow and stopped on a brilliant white, white beams shooting from them to paint a picture on Twilight's wall of the streets of Canterlot, with the castle rising magnificently in the background.

After staring for a moment, Rarity reached forward with her hoof. Careful not to touch the crystals, she lightly tapped the picture...

...except it was no picture. It was a window. A widow to the shining streets, the shining stores, the shining ponies in their shining dresses.

Rarity shivered. She had somehow- somehow- managed to open a window through space.

And this was Twilight's job.

She looked toward the door the lavender unicorns had just gone through a minute ago. She really ought to tell Twilight.

She _really _ought to...

...but it couldn't hurt to slip through the portal, just for a moment, right? After all, she could always slip back. And what if Twilight didn't want her going through for some reason? It really couldn't hurt anypony just to walk through that glowing city for a moment, could it?

She tentatively stuck her leg through the portal, encountering no resistance, and set her hoof delicately on the paved streets of Canterlot.

Then she brought in the other three.

She looked over her shoulder. The portal home was still there, painted onto the side of somepony's house. She stepped through just to make sure she could, then began walking through the gorgeous city. She knew what she wanted to do first of all- she would visit that cute little boutique on the other side of town. She wanted to take a look at the stock and see what the prices were.

Then she scooted back. What was she thinking? Maybe the uncouth Ponyville ponies could walk around without clothes and be socially acceptable, but not in _Canterlot_. It was just one of those social conventions that varied from place to place. She rushed home and changed her outfit- quickly- and then ventured through the portal once more. She was now wearing a chic dress and hat. She began to wander the streets.

"Rarity!" Someone gasped behind her.

She whirled around to see a little pegasus.

"Guys! I found her!"

Several more ponies stampeded to her.

"Rarity!"

"We found you, Rarity!"

"Happy birthday, Rarity!"

"We _love _you Rarity!"

They all tackled her.

"Oh! Hey!" she brushed them off. She had never seen any of these colts in her life, and it wasn't her birthday.

"Foals! Foals!" Cheerilee ran up. "What have I told you? This is not the proper way to act! Haven't I told you already?" She looked panicked.

"Oops, sorry," said some of them. They backed up and got on their knees.

Rarity was confused. Were they- wait, they weren't _bowing _to her, were they?

"Princess Rarity!" Cheerilee announced. "We are honored to speak with you."

Rarity took a few steps backward. _Princess? Princess!_

"We were going to visit you in the castle," Cheerilee said. "It seems we found you here instead."

"Well, that's... fine..." Rarity said. "Uh, why don't we head back to the castle now?" She was convinced Cheerilee and these colts had gone nuts. Princess Celestia would be able to fix them!

She whirled around and strutted toward the castle, and was disconcerted to see all the ponies lining up and following her in a nice neat line, marching like an army.

There were guards at the door and she expected them to stop her, but they just continued staring straight ahead while she led her train of ponies into the castle. She was begininng to feel uneasy.

She stepped into the throne room. The thrones were empty... she couldn't remember there being two thrones in the Canterlot throne room, but she _had _heard that Princess Luna would be getting a new throne at one point... and it was silver, which seemed appropriate to her.

Someone had redecorated the room. Someone who had good taste; she must meet them later.

"Princess?" She called, wondering where Celestia was.

"Yes?"

A door at the side of the throne room openeed, and Rarity fell to her knees.

The pony who had entered the room was pure white with a flawlessly styled mane. She wore a dress that spoke of the professional work done on it. Her eyes were bright, blue, and beautiful. Her horn gleamed in the light. She wore silver crowns on her feet, fitted with amythist that matched the mane perfectly.

But what Rarity stared at, more than anything else, was the irridescent pair of wings stretched behind what otherwise could be her mirror image.

Rarity had a double- another pony who was almost, but not quite, like her.

And she was an _alicorn_.


	2. Arc 1 Chapter 2: Portal Panic

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, Continued**

**Chapter 2: Portal Panic**

"Hiya, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie sang, sommersaulting into the library. "Just wanted to compliment you on your new mural! Hi, Rainbow Dash!"

"What new mural?" Twilight Sparkle asked, looking aside from the shelf of Daring Do books.

"Hi, Pinkie Pie!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Hi! You still reading Daring Do?"

"What new mural?" Twilight Sparkle repeated.

"Of _course_! Daring Do is only _the single coolest _pegasus in known literature!"

Pinkie Pie made a face. "The second book had that ditzy unicorn. I didn't like her."

"Pinkie, what new mural?" Twilight said, feeling worried.

"What was wrong with her?"

"She had a pink mane!"

"What's wrong with pink manes?"

"I'm sick of all the jokes that pink maned ponies are crazy! Who started that, anyway?"

"PINKIE PIE!" Twilight shouted.

"Yep?" said Pinkie Pie, about-facing.

"What new mural?"

"I dunno, Twilight. What new mural?"

"The one you mentioned!"

"Don't remember."

Twilight facehoofed.

"Uh, Twilight?" Spike said, walking in.

"What?" Twilight whirled around.

"When did you get a new mural done?"

"Mural? Where is it?" Twilight snapped.

"Just out that door."

Twilight raced to look at the portal.

"Oh, no," she said. "How did this happen? I was only gone for a few minutes! Where's Rarity?"

"How did what happen?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Did Rarity paint this?"

"Prettiful!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's like I could just reach out and touch it!"

She made a fair attempt, stretching her hoof as far as she could, but she could not touch the mural. Her hoof just went through.

"Where's Rarity?" Twilight asked, panicked.

"Well, duh," Pinkie Pie said. "She's in Canterlot!"

"But- but she should have told me!" Twilight said.

"That's probably where she is," Rainbow Dash said. "You can't exactly call her reliable."

"We have to find her!" Twilight said. "These portals don't last forever! She could be trapped on the other side!"

"She'd just have to buy a train ticket," Rainbow Dash said. "And maybe she'd learn her lesson and not mess with any of your experiments without telling you."

"Even so," Twilight said. "We should find her just to be safe."

"Fine." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "I'll look for her from the sky. See that steeple with a bell? I'll ring it when I find her and you can meet me back here." She flew off.

"Why does she think _she's_ going to find Rarity?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, I know where Rarity is!" Pinkie Pie hopped off through the portal.

"Hey! Where are you-" Twilight sighed as Pinkie disappeared from sight. "Never mind..."

"Should we go?" Spike asked.

"_I'll _go. You stay here and-"

"You leave me out of _everything_!" Spike sulked.

Twilight blinked. Spike wasn't like this.

"Fine, then. Hop on."

Spike lept onto her back. "Okay, I think she'll be where all those stores are... you remember, Twilight?"

"Yeah, maybe we'll meet Pinkie Pie on the way," Twilight said. "But really, no one knows Canterlot better than us."

They started through the portal.

* * *

"Yes?" Rarity the alicorn asked.

Rarity the unicorn just gaped at her.

Cheerilee gasped. "Your highness- if you're _there, _then who is- who is _this?_"

Rarity fluttered her wings. "I... I thought you knew."

"No! I thought this was you!"

Rarity the alicorn, bewildered, spun around. "Twilight! TWILIGHT!"

"What is it, now? And I _said_, call me Princess Twilight!"

Given that Rarity was an alicorn, it shouldn't have come as a shock to see Twilight Sparkle, the vastly superior (in magic, anyway) unicorn, become an alicorn. But is wasn't just the fact she had wings, it was the wings themselves. They were shimmery violet butterfly wings that seemed to dissapear if she held them a certain way. If Rarity could make a dress like that...

Twilight's outfit was similiar to Rarity's, except that she wore golden crown bracelets with dark green emeralds in them.

"Rarity, what-" Twilight looked from one Rarity to the other. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No!" Rarity the unicorn cried. "I was just trying to visit Canterlot! Where is Princess Celestia?"

There were gasps from the young ponies behind her.

"Ms. Cheerilee, she said a bad word!" a snobby-sounding colt said.

"You- you changeling, or whatever you are," Twilight said, pointing a hoof at Rarity, "I want you to come with me."

Rarity started to follow, feeling nervous. She looked over her shoulder at her winged twin.

"Can we give her our presents now?" a young pony asked.

"Sure," said Cheerilee.

The little ponies all bowed.

"Happy birthday, Rarity!"

"We love you, Rarity!"

"Thank you, Rarity!"

Rarity couldn't see the alicorn's face that well, but Rarity seemed...

Like the was about to cry.

And not happy tears, either.

* * *

"Where am I?" Rarity demanded of Twilight.

"I'll be asking the questions," Twilight said, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"

"I'm... I'm Rarity," she said, though she wasn't sure anymore.

"What do you mean? Where do you come from?"

"I'm... I came from Ponyville. You had just been trying to create a portal to Canterlot, and I made it work accidentaly, and I just... walked through. And, well... here I am."

"A likely story-" Twilight Sparkle frowned. "Wait a moment..." she screwed up her face in concentration. "Did anything just happen? I mean, besides the portal?"

"I- Pinkie Pie had just thrown that party. It was... Bon-bon's birthday, I believe. It's... a little hard to remember why Pinkie Pie throws parties, but... you had tried out a new firework?"

"Oh, yes, please don't remind me," said Twilight Sparkle, facehoofing. "Well, then..." She bit her lip. "What was the name of your first cat?"

"My _first _cat?"

"Sorry, you wouldn't- I mean- what was the name of your cat?"

Rarity supposed this was a test. "Opalescense."

"What did you call that line of capes you designed?"

"Cape-a-diem," Rarity said. "Tacky name, I know, but I've considered-"

"Which pony danced with you at Bon-Bon's party?"

Rarity bit her lip. "Nopony. I arrived late and missed the dancing."

Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn, slowly nodded. "All right, then. I believe you are from my past." She frowned. "But, then... what if..." she turned to the door leading to the throne room. "Princess Rarity?" She asked.

"Yes?" Princess Rarity joined them. Her eyes were red.

"Did you ever... have an adventure you didn't tell me about?" Princess Twilight asked.

Princess Rarity blinked. "Not that I can recall. What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you ever... travel forward in time and meet your alicorn self?"

"No! Why would I keep something like that secret?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "Well, in that case... we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" asked both Rarities.

"One that threatens the very fabric of time and space."

* * *

Applejack and Fluttershy were on their way home from church.

"Ah want to stop by Twilight Sparkle's place and return some books," Applejack said. "You can jist head on home without me."

"Oh, no, it's been a while since I've seen our friends anyways," Fluttershy said. "I've just been so... _busy_, what with that poor hedgehog family and the orphan racoon..."

"Well, here we are, then," said Applejack. "I'll just pop in an'... what the hay?"

She stared at the portal on the wall. The crystals were now flashing colors erratically.

"Twilight did mention something about a portal the other day," said Fluttershy.

"Well, you think we should follow them?" Applejack asked, adjusting her hat.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it isn't important." Fluttershy backed off.

Then one of the crystals shattered.

Part of the portal flickered in and out of existence before finally leaving the portal a third smaller than it was before.

"Hoo boy," Applejack says. "I hope they aren't still there- they could get stuck!"

Another crystal pulsated wildly.

"Oh my stars," Applejack said. "We have to do sumthin!"

"What?" Fluttershy asked, trembling.

"Find a unicorn I guess," Applejack said, squeezing through the remaining portal. "Canterlots full of the little critters. I'll go east, you go west. Meet here in five!" And she galloped down the street.

Fluttershy started to go through, then wondered if the portal might close while she was still in it. She squeaked with fright at the thought.

But no- her friends needed her!

Flinching, she pushed through the portal as fast as she could and raced to get away from it.

She missed seeing the portal collapse.


	3. Arc 1 Chapter 3: Princess and Pauper

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 3: Princess and Pauper**

Princess Twilight paced frantically.

"If you didn't meet your future self in your past, that means you just did something in the past that you shouldn't have done in the past, which means that the past has been changed without altering the future, which means that there is now a discrepancy between the past and the future..."

The two Rarities just stared at each other.

"So?" Princess Rarity asked.

"So?" Princess Twilight said. "We are on the verge of a crisis and all you can say-" She stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I suppose you would not understand the magnitude of this issue. But we could- no, hold on." She paused, scratching her chin with her hoof. "Then again, maybe I erased your memory."

"Yes, that _does _sound like something you'd do," Princess Rarity said.

"Not all of your memory! Just the part where you visited me! Rarity, what do you take me for?" She whirled to Rarity. "Show us the portal."

"Wait!" Rarity said. "Who said I wanted to have my memory erased?"

"You have to," said Princess Twilight. "Or else Equestria will not only cease to exist, but also have never existed." She stared at Rarity with a the-world-rests-on-your-shoulders kind of look.

Rarity shivered. "All- all right." As she turned to leave, she muttered, "All I wanted was to visit the boutique!"

* * *

"This is _really _wierd, Twilight," Spike said, looking around.

"How long have I been in Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Um... a yearish?"

"But I don't recognize anything here! It's all... rearranged! And not in a good way."

In one sense, Canterlot was just as sparkly as before, if not more sparkly. Someone with a good sense of style had planned these buildings.

In another, Canterlot seemed dead.

Very few ponies roamed the streets. Very few shops were open.

Twilight stopped at one of the few booths that had a pony behind it. "Where is everypony?" She asked.

The pale pink earth pony seemed middle aged and tired. "School's not out yet," was all she said. "Want some flowers?"

Twilight looked at the poor flowers. They seemed as wilted and faded as the stall minder. Some had been partially eaten by insects.

"Yeah, figures," the pony said, leaning back in her chair. "Nopony ever wants flowers anymore. They all think it's my fault they look so horrible."

"Well, who's fault-"

"Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight Sparkle whirled around, nearly knocking Spike off, to come face to face with... herself.

She gasped and her legs buckled, staring at her shiny wings and flowing mane.

"Twilight?" Rarity crept over. "I know this must come as a shock to you, but... we're in our future."

* * *

Applejack came to a halt, panting. She wasn't quite at the meeting place, but she felt out of breath from running all through the streets.

"Applejack?" Fluttershy asked.

"Were you even looking?" Applejack asked.

"N-no," Fluttershy said. "Well, yes, but I was looking for you. We're too late."

"Say whut?" Applejack straightened up.

"The portal's gone, Applejack."

There was a bit of silence.

"Well, hay, it's not the end of the world. We'll just have to spend a few bits on a train ticket."

Fluttershy blinked in suprise. "Applejack? Is something wrong?"

"Why'd anything be wrong?"

"Your eyes are shifting."

"Oh... hay, I never was a good liar, was I?" she laughed nervously. "Okay, well... I'll admit... I'm a bit on edge. I just didn't want to worry you, and I wasn't sure..."

"What happened?"

"First of all, there isn't a unicorn in the place. I thought they was all s'posed to live here or sumthin', but I can't find a single one."

"And?" Fluttershy asked, sensing there was more.

"Well... it's the strangest thang, but..."

"What?"

"Every time a pony saw me, they just... screamed. Or fainted. Like I was a monster or sumthin'."

Fluttershy shrugged. Then she smiled. "Maybe it's because you have mud on your hooves."

"Whut? Oh, geez." She scraped her hooves on the stones. "Sheesh. Rarity clones, the whole lot of them. And I can barely handly _one _Rarity!"

* * *

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Something went wrong with the portal," Rarity said. "And now-"

Princess Twilight gasped.

"What?" Asked everyone.

The Princess turned aside. "Nothing..." she paused. "It's just, I was thinking. Since we're planning on erasing your memories eventually, anyways... there's no reason why we couldn't show you around town." She turned around, a bright smile on her face. "See a few of the sights? You know?"

"Twilight?" Princess Rarity asked.

"I think," the Princess continued, "that I'd like to show my past self... the academy."

Princess Rarity paused. "I..."

"Something wrong?"

"I..."

"Come on," Princess Twilight said, "you two fillies are about to have the time of your lives." She turned to Princess Rarity. "You don't have to come."

Rarity the alicorn turned aside. "I think... I think I'll get back to my little ponies at the castle. My birthday, you know."

"Yes," Princess Twilight said. "You know how they love you."

* * *

The academy was larger than the palace. Or maybe it wasn't; it was a little hard to tell because the two buildings were connected.

"This is where all the unicorns in Equestria come to be trained in their magical abilities," Princess Twilight said. "It's renowned for its teachers, facilities, _and _enormous library," she said, with a wink at her younger self.

"Facinating," Twilight said. She was getting some stares from the students, but that didn't suprise her.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Spike whispered.

"Spike!" Twilight Sparkle said. "She's being very nice to us!"

"No, I feel the same way," Rarity said. "Princess Rarity was hiding something, I just know it."

They were led up a grand staircase and into a richly furnished bedroom with two poster beds with silk canopies.

"This is the finest room in the academy, where you will be staying."

"Well," Twilight Sparkle said, "That seems a little... I mean, I don't want to stay too long. We might want to go home... like, soon."

"Oh, but you only just arrived!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Anyway, I have such great plans for you while you're here." She leaned forward. "In fact, I have a special treat for Spike. Do you want to see my laboratory?"

"No!" Spike cried, clutching Twilight's mane.

"Spike!" said Twilight Sparkle. "Um, I'm sorry, your highness..."

"I insist," hissed Princess Twilight.

Two pegasi guards charged into the room.

"I said wait for my signal!" Princess Twilight said.

Twilight and Rarity ran for the open door, but it slammed shut in front of them.

One pegasus dragged Rarity aside. Rarity screamed.

"Listen, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Twilight said. "I don't want to fight you. I would win, but I still don't. And I don't want to hurt your friend. But while you're in my city, you play by my rules. And my rules say, give me Spike. Now!"

Twilight was curled protectively around Spike. She felt Spike's claws dig into her leg and wished she didn't have to let go.

But Spike walked forward himself.

"Good boy," Princess Twilight said. She put Spike on her back and turned to the door. "Run these two unicorns on the treadmill. Run them til they collapse! I'll be doing some experiments." She strode out the door.


	4. Arc 1 Chapter 4: Captain's Captives

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 4: Captain's Captives**

Rainbow Dash perched on top of a roof, a little confused. She'd been all over town, and she should have seen that white unicorn...

Oh, wait, duh. She wouldn't be white- well, she would be, but she'd be wearing an outfit. This was _Canterlot_, after all.

She wouldn't mention this to anyone- they'd think her silly.

Then Pinkie Pie caught her eye. What was she doing here? Did she know where Rarity was?

She was about to swoop down when two guards barged out of a store, dragging a distraught light blue pegasus with them.

They banged into Pinkie Pie and all fell to the ground.

"Hey!" said Pinkie Pie. "Why are you arresting her? I need to go to this boutique- it's Rarity's favorite!"

"Sorry," one of the guards snarled. "This boutique is now closed."

"Why? Did they commit a crime against fashion?" She rolled on the floor like it was funny.

"It's not fair!" the pegasus wailed. "It's not _my _fault I'm going out of business! Nopony wants clothes that are just white and brown!"

"What?" One guard- white with brown spots- pulled her closer. "Are you complaining about our laws? ...Hey, do we have a law that clothes can only be white and brown?"

He seemed young and inexperienced.

"No," said the older one, who was black. "You can still buy dyes."

"They're too expensive, and now those are being restricted!" The blue pegasus yanked herself away.

"If you can't stay in business, that's _your_ fault. Now come with us and-"

"What's the problem?"

The guards and the blue pegasus gasped and fell to their knees.

"Oh, please," said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash nearly fell off of the roof. Rarity... was a princess... and had wings? How long had she been gone?

"Is there a problem?" She asked the blue pegasus.

"I... I can't stay in business and I don't want to go to jail and I have a family and-"

"Say no more," Rarity said, waving her hoof. "I'm not the bearer of the element of Generosity for nothing. I'll make a present of the money needed to get back on your hooves."

The pegasus fell at Rarity's hooves, kissing them. "Oh, thank you, most generous majesty! It is no wonder you are so loved."

Princess Rarity's eyes brimmed with tears. "It's nothing, really."

"Wow, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie said. "Awesome wings!"

Princess Rarity turned to Pinkie Pie, clearly noticing her for the first time. "Oh! Diane! Your mane!"

Pinkie Pie tapped her hoof nervously. "I think my name's Pinkie Pie. Unless it changed while I wasn't looking."

That seemed too much for Princess Rarity. She wrapped her hooves around Pinkie and sobbed into her puffy pink mane.

"Something wrong?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh, nothing." Princess Rarity leaned back and composed herself. "It's just- you! It's so wonderful... thank you so much!"

"Sure!" Pinkie Pie said. "I love you too!" She hugged her back.

"Oh, but- Pinkie! Don't you have a show to do?"

"Show?"

"Your two o'clock performance! Quick!" Princess Rarity pointed. "You might make it if you run!"

"Okay!" Pinkie Pie took off.

Rarity's bracelet began pulsing.

"Oh, curses," she said. "Please excuse me." She left the three pegasi and went arond the corner.

Rainbow Dash turned around to look at her.

The princess pushed a button on the bracelet and pointed the gem at the blank wall in front of her. An image of Twilight Sparkle was projected on the wall.

Rainbow wasn't sure she was suprised at Twilght's appearance. It was more of a how-much-changed-while-I-was-gone reaction.

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Just wanted to know where you were. You weren't at the palace when I arrived."

"Oh, I stopped to help a pony in need. Are you done with our younger selves already?"

Younger selves? The pieces started falling into place in Dashie's head.

"I showed Rarity and Twilight to the academy. I have some... plans for them."

"Twilight! You didn't!"

"Please, call me Princess Twilight. People might be listening."

"And are you sure we're not going to cause a collapse in the space-time-whatever?"

Suddenly Spike pressed his face against the projection. "Rarity! Save me!"

Twilight pounced on him. The two disappeared out of the screen for a moment, showing some laboratory equipment.

Rainbow Dash's heart was pounding. Younger selves? Space-time-whatever? Did they just... _time travel_?

One thing she knew for sure: her friends were being held captive.

"Captain Dash!"

Rainbow lept into the air and spun around.

The two pegasi guards were staring at her expectantly.

"We're sorry," the young one said, "we didn't know you were here and-"

"Ahem," the black one said, "salute."

The two raised their hooves to their foreheads.

"Reporting for duty," the black one said.

Rainbow Dash blinked.

_Oh! _she thought. _I must become a captain in the future! They think I'm her!_

She thought of correcting them, but had a better idea. _This could be how I save my friends!_

"Uh, good," she said. "I'm not suprised you didn't know I was here. Uh. I was just... taking a break."

The younger one looked a bit shocked at that. Rainbow Dash saw his cutie mark was a red shield.

"What are your orders?" the black one asked. _His _cutie mark was a flaming meteor.

"Well. What were you doing before I interrupted?"

"Patroling the north quandrent, sir."

Rainbow Dash wondered why she had insisted on being called Sir. But then, she _did _like it better than "ma'am".

"Well, maybe I'll join you," she said. "I don't have anything imp- I don't have any urgent business."

The younger one looked a bit... skeptical, but the black one just took her orders.

"Yes sir," he said, flying off.

The younger one looked over his shoulder before joining.

They just flew for a while. There was nothing to say. Rainbow Dash wished she knew what the guards' names were, but felt she couldn't ask. She reviewed everything about military that she knew- the bulk of which was just 'guards never laugh'.

Suddenly the younger one pulled up short. "Hey, I think I just-" he whirled around. "It's Blackjack!"

The older one turned around more slowly. "Really?"

"Yeah! See!"

Rainbow Dash didn't see any black ponies.

"C'mon," the younger one said, pulling on Rainbow Dash's hoof. "Let's go and-"

"Ahem," the black one said.

"Huh?"

"AHEM! You don't have to join if you don't want to, Captain Dash."

"What- oh, yeah, we understand," the younger one said.

Rainbow blinked.

"Anyway," the black one said, "Charge!"

The two pegasi swooped down.

"Hay! Stop tha- HALP!"

Rainbow knew that voice.

They were arresting Applejack.


	5. Arc 1 Chapter 5: Pinkie Pie Live!

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 4: Pinkie Pie Live!**

**(aka: What happens when you set Pinkie Pie loose on a stage in front of a hundred grumpy ponies)**

Pinkie Pie galloped down the street, wondering what show she was supposed to be doing. She supposed it was a suprise. She loved suprises. Especially when they had extra frosting.

She stopped short. She didn't actually know which building she was supposed to go into. Oh well. She tried a door.

"Pinkie!" A young baby blue pegasus pulled her in. "I-I mean Diane. So sorry, miss..."

"Nah, just call me Pinkie," Pinkie Pie said.

The pegasus brightened. "Okay, if that's what you want. Hey, great hair! I didn't know hair stylists could make your hair longer!"

Pinkie blinked. "Neither did I! That's _so _cool!"

The pegasus buried his nose in her hair. "And it smells like cotton candy! That's just the sweetest-"

"SPOT!" a nasty-looking tan earth pony shouted. "What are you doing with your nose in Diane Pie's hair?"

"GAH!" Spot flailed his hooves around and fell flat on the floor. "S-sorry, miss..."

Pinkie could now see that his cutie mark was two spotlights of different colors crossing each other.

"I can guess your last name!" She cried. "Is it... Light?"

Spot looked at her. "Yeah... since when did you care about my name?"

"Diane!" the earth pony shouted. "It's time! The mayor of Ponyville has been introduced." She leaned forward and smiled a crooked smile. "I've already given her the five-spice rubdown. Time for your famous grilling."

Pinkie didn't understand her. "I like baking better than grilling. What _is _grilling, anyways?"

The two ponies just stared at her.

"Time!" Another pony grabbed Pinkie and put her on stage.

"Welcome back to Diane Pie, Live!" a voice announced. "And now here's our host, Diane Pie!"

"Pinkie froze. "Call me Pinkie already! Why is everyone calling me by my middle name? Did it change while I wasn't looking? But you can't really _look _at your name. Wouldn't it be nice if we just all had our names floating over our heads and then you'd never forget anypony's name..." She looked at the pony sitting in the armchair. "Like you. Where's Mayor Mare?"

The yellow-orange unicorn shuffled her hooves nervously. "She was impeached. Remember?"

"Nope! I can never remember anything for more than five seconds!" Pinkie Pie lept into the armchair across from the mayor. "Wee-hee! Bouncy! Try it!"

"Oh, no thank you..." the mayor said.

"No, really, it's fun!" Pinkie stared at the mayor expectantly.

The mayor stared at her hooves.

"Come on," Pinkie said.

The mayor wouldn't meet her eye. "Can't we just do the interview?"

"Not until you try bouncing."

The mayor sighed heavily and bounced up and down a little.

Pinkie brightened instantly. "Isn't that _fun?_" she asked.

The mayor blinked. Deciding to give the answer that would suit Pinkie, she said, "I guess a little."

"Then you weren't bouncing high enough. Come on!" This time Pinkie lept next to her and lifted her up and down.

"Oh! Pl-stop-oh!" the mayor closed her eyes. "That was... very... very fun. Now, what about the interview?"

Pinkie gave her a bored look. "Some ponies just never want to have fun. _Oh-oh-some po-nies, don't wanna have fu-un!" _She sang.

The mayor looked out towards the frustrated looking ponies in the audience. "How about the interview?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah- oh, _hey_, there's ponies out there!" She leaned way out over the edge of the stage. "I'm only used to seeing people when I look through that wall! ...hey, you don't look like you're having any fun. What's wrong with your eyes? A lot of you have eyes that are rolling around. You look like Derpy. OH! Are they falling out? OH NO! Quick! Everybody, find some eye glue!" She ran backstage.

"What's wrong with you?" the tan earth pony demanded. Pinkie saw her cutie mark was a megaphone.

"Just having fun! Isn't that what we're here for?"

"You are _not _here to have fun! You're here to expose the slobs and cheaters in the Equestrian government and get them out of office!"

Pinkie stared at her.

"Sounds like too much work."

She dashed back onto the stage.

"So, you wanted me to interview you?"

"Did you forget the eye- never mind," the mayor said.

"What? Of course I remembered the eye glue! I was joking about not being able to remember anything for more than five seconds! Can you imagine forgetting everything you know every five seconds? I'd be really stupid! Well some say I am anyway, but not _that _stupid! I know everyone in Ponyville- oh, except you. Hold on, how can you be mayor of Ponyville if you don't live there?"

The mayor looked scared. "You... you made an exception for me! I-I mean, Princess Twilight did! D-d-didn't she?"

"Princess Twilight?"

"Yes!" The mayor looked scared. "When she rearranged the government after the fall of Celestia, she asked me to be the mayor- and said I didn't have to worry about the normal way to run for office!"

"Why would Twilight do a thing like that?"

"I don't know! But she's the princess and the ruler of all Equestria!" The mayor was practically hiding under the table now.

Pinkie scratched her chin.

The tan mare was nodding approvingly from behind the curtain.

"All right," Pinkie said, "I have one more question." She leaned close to her.

The mayor cringed, like she expected to be struck.

"What year is it?"

The mayor blinked and told her.

Pinkie continued glaring for a moment.

"Okay, that's all I needed to know." She bounced off the stage, then poked her head out. "And, guys, always remember to be careful about your eyes!"

Then after a moment she poked her head out again. "Does that mean today is ten years from yesterday?"


	6. Arc 1 Chapter 6: Equestria's Most Wanted

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 6: Equestria's Most Wanted**

Princess Twilight raced up the stairs at a regal canter, her telekinesis keeping Spike in the air behind her.

"I can't believe this has happened," she kept muttering to herself. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime."

She kept repeating this in a way that only made Spike more nervous.

Finally they'd reached the top of the tower. A door magically materialized, looking like it would just lead to a steep drop into the castle moat, but instead it opened to a laboratory filled with bubbling beakers, scales, and metal machines with blinking lights and big red buttons.

"I have so much to do," the princess said, putting Spike on a table. "Measurements of metabolism, heat, energy, alertness... So much to do, I'd better make a list... Oh, but first I should do a general measurement."

Spike was whisked into one of the machines. Princess Twilight telekinetically snapped cuffs to Spike's neck, tail, arms, legs, waist, and an extra one around his arm.

"Wh-what are you doing to me?" Spike asked.

"Measuring," Princess Twilight said, pressing a couple buttons.

The machine began to vibrate. Some of the lights pulsed.

"T-twilight!" Spike said.

"Suddenly the machine stopped.

A screen lit up, showing a bunch of numbers that meant nothing to Spike, but they seemed to excite Princess Twilight Sparkle. She whipped out a notebook and started writing things down frantically, her horn pulsing as the quill flew across the pages.

"These readings... I have to do more experiments! Oooh, I wish I had some metahypercabornicacelytic minerals!" She leaned back and took a deep breath. "In time, Princess Twilight; in time. First, though, I need a reading on adrenaline." She pulled out a hypodermic needle.

Spike fliched.

"Now let me see..." Twilight used her magic to rumage through a drawer. "Metaphylylia... hexachloricana... Starswirlium... Ah ha, got it!" She pulled out a triangle-shaped beaker filled with bubbling yellow fluid, enveloped in her magic. "Now if I can just..." She opened the back of the hypodermic needle and hovered the beaker close to it. Both instruments shook from concentration as slowly, slowly, the princess tilted the beaker forward, the liquid edging ever so slightly toward the opening, the mouth poised exactly over the opening in the needle...

"Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flinging the door open.

"GAH!"

The needle and the beaker went flying as Princess Twilight collapsed on the ground. The beaker was flung against one wall and set some papers on fire with a bright red flame, while the needle embeded itself in the wall next to the machine Spike was in, about at eye level. Spike promptly fainted.

Princess Twilight whirled to face Rainbow Dash, and said in her best Royal Canterlot Voice, "I TOLD YOU NEVER TO INTERRUPT ME!"

Rainbow Dash winced and shuffled her hoof. "Sorry, Twilight, but you see, my guards have just arrested Applejack..."

"Really?" Princess Twilight brightened. "You mean at last, we actually have her?"

"Er, see, that's the thing." Rainbow Dash had planned what to say carefully, in the hopes of getting more information and helping her friend without blowing her cover. "She doesn't seem to know what she's been arrested for. It seems a little... strange."

Princess Twilight Sparkle drew herself up and took a deep breath before screaming in a magnified voice, "HOW CAN SHE NOT OWN UP TO WHAT SHE HAS DONE!? SHE KNOWS FULL WELL WHAT SHE DID! AND NOW... OH, NOW SHE SHALL PAY FOR-" But then she shrunk. "Wait..." Then, looking a little freaked, said, "Please bring her to the throne room."

* * *

Applejack's hooves were bound together with a shining green rope. Her mouth had some kind of silver band around it that prevented her from talking.

The two guards hurled her rather unceremoniously to the floor, and all she could see was the bottom of the steps.

Then a set of lavendar hooves appeared at the bottom of the staircase. They were a shade Applejack knew well.

"Where did you find her?" asked a voice that Applejack also knew.

"In the heart of Canterlot, your majesty," the younger one said.

_Your majesty?_ Applejack thought.

"Did she seem frightened, or nervous or anything like that?"

"She seemed perfectly relaxed," the guard said. "It was unnerving." He paused. "I-I mean, before we captured her! Nobody would act calm while they were being arrested!"

"I'm aware of that," Twilight Sparkle said coldly. "Applejack, how did you dare come back to Canterlot?"

Applejack wondered why Twilight Sparkle was even asking her questions when she obviously couldn't answer because she was gagged when she felt the metal ring loosen. She muttered, "Canterlot's free to the public, ain't it?" Then the ring tightened up again and she had to be quiet.

"You aren't exactly 'public', Applejack," Twilight said. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

The ring loosened again. "I din't do nothin', Twilight! You know me! Where's Celestia?"

There was a pause.

"Oh my Celestia," Twilight Sparkle said. "They've spread!"

"Who's spread?" The older guard asked, on the alert.

"Nothing!" Twilight said. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with right now! Great work capturing Applejack! You may take her to the dungeon- the high security dungeon. I'd like to talk to Princess Rarity and Captain Dash alone, if you don't mind. One foot!"

The last comment seemed out of place, but then the lime green rope snapped with magic and grew a little to let Applejack move her hooves. The guards hoisted her to her feet and herded her out the door by lightly touching her shoulders with their wings.

Applejack wanted to say something, anything. If she couldn't convince this... brainwashed Twilight Sparkle of her innocence, she could at least try to figure out what was wrong. But the metal ring cut into her mouth when she tried to open it.

She was led through the hallway and down, down, down the stairs.

Applejack had seen the dungeon before. The day after the Grand Galloping Gala, the girls had stayed in town one more day to take in some sights, and so that Fluttershy could socialize with the no-longer-on-edge animals in the garden and Rainbow Dash could have a chat with the no-longer-busy Wonderbolts and Twilight Sparkle could get come quality time with her mentor. Princess Celestia had offered them a tour of the castle.

The dungeons consisted of about twenty clean but secure cells. There were only a handful of prisoners, and some of the cells were being used for food storage.

Princess Celestia had said that the most prisoners they'd ever had was twenty. Twenty prisoners who were too dangerous, or had committed crimes too high, to be kept in one of the smaller dungeons in another town. She said she'd felt like a failure.

The cells Applejack was led past were not the ones she'd seen on the tour. They were carved from a cavern of gemstones- maybe the mine Twilight had mentioned being trapped in before, Applejack didn't know. She stopped counting the cells, but each one had at least six prisoners, and the line of cells never seemed to end.

The ones she saw first were all unicorns, lying on the ground, sick or weak. Some gave her sad looks as she went past. Some didn't seem to care. Some glared at her, like she was the reason they were in these cells. But none got up from where they had collapsed.

As they went on, the cells now held pegasai and earth ponies. These weren't weak at all.

Some crowded at the bars, whispering "Is that Applejack?" "No! It's can't be!" "It is!" Many were crying. Some seemed scared to cry. Some looked like all their hopes had been crushed.

Some snarled at her, lept at the bars screaming "This is all your fault, you traitor! I hope the princess turns you into a parasprite!"

Some, especially the little ponies, just looked at her and burst into tears.

Applejack looked at the guards on either side. Neither showed any sign of emotion.

_What did I do?_ She longed to cry out. _What have I done to them?_


	7. Arc 1 Chapter 7: Tool, Traitor,

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, Continued**

**Chapter 6: Tool, traitor...**

"All unicorns, get in line!"

Twilight Sparkle stood in front of the guard, heading the line to... wherever they were going. She looked over her shoulder. Rarity was behind her, her eyes shining with unshed, frightened tears. Behind Rarity, a line of unicorns formed, all of them young, like students. The one immediately behind Rarity looked slightly familiar.

"You look just like Princess Rarity!"

Rarity whirled around and gasped. "S-Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle was fully grown up and as big as Rarity. Her mane was longer and straighter, her coat was grayer, and her eyes... Rarity blinked in suprise. Sweetie Belle's eyes were gray.

Sweetie Belle glanced over her shoulder. "Can I hide in your tail?"

"What!?"

"Oh... sorry, you're new, aren't you? I guess you wouldn't know." Sweetie Belle shrunk back, hurt showing in her eyes.

"Oh, dearie, I'm sorry." Rarity leaned closer. "Why are your eyes that color?"

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "I was born that way, I guess." She didn't seem to want to talk anymore.

Rarity now saw Sweetie Belle's cutie mark. It was diamond shaped, with stripes- a red at the bottom, then an orange stripe, then a yellow stripe, and the tip of the diamond was green. The whole thing was surrounded by a yellow burst.

"Why do you want to hide... in my tail?" Rarity asked.

"So the Princess won't see me," Sweetie Belle said. "You're new, so you wouldn't know. One of the princesses always stands at the head of the line, and if one of us looks to tired or ill to work the treadmill, she sends us to the back of the line." She cringed. "That's how it's supposed to work. But, whenever Princess Rarity is on duty, she _always _sends me to the back of the line... for no reason! I'm healthy and strong! I'm _young! _This is even my talent, see?" She pointed to her cutie mark. "But she keeps sending me back, and all the other unicorns hate me for it! It's not my fault! The princess hates me or something! I have no idea why she'd be doing this! I'm just one little unicorn, I'm not special! Why does she pick on _me, _out of all the unicorns?"

Rarity blinked. "You have... no idea?"

"No!" Sweetie Belle was crying now.

"You don't... think the princess might care for you?"

"Well... maybe, but why me? I'm not any more virtuous than the rest of the ponies."

Rarity was about to ask more, but then remembered what Princess Twilight Sparkle had said.

_"Maybe I sent you back in time, and just erased your memory!"_

And then Princess Rarity:

_"Yes, that _does _sound like something you would do."_

* * *

Princess Twilight Sparkle sent all the guards and servants out of the room except for Rainbow Dash. Then, her horn glowing, she set a shield around the room.

"Now we can conference in private," she said, motioning for Princess Rarity and Rainbow Dash to come closer.

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Princess Rarity asked. "That Applejack, she wasn't a..."

"She was," Princess Twilight sighed. "I could tell she wasn't lying."

"What is it?" Rainbow Dash asked, hoping she didn't sound clueless.

Princess Twilight shook her head. "Earlier today, Princess Rarity and I met a pony who looked like Rarity, except without wings. I determined that she was, in fact, a Rarity from the past. It seems... it seems there are more of them. This Applejack had no idea of the crimes she committed- because she hadn't committed them yet. She's from the past."

After considering carefully, Rainbow Dash said, "You mean... we've all got past selves running around Canterlot?"

Princess Twilight nodded, biting one cheek. "It appears."

"What are we going to do, Sparkie?" Princess Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash blinked. _Sparkie? _she thought. _Since when did we call her that?_

Princess Twilight rubbed a hoof under her chin. "We don't want to let Past Twilight or Past Rarity go just yet- we could make good use of them. But I don't want to send the other past versions home without them- we could cause a paradox. If we presume that none of the past versions _know _they are in the future, we could lure them out... somehow. We already have three of them- we just need to find Past Pinkie, Past Rainbow, and Past Fluttershy. That is... assumming they are all here... which might be too large an assumption..." she paced to the other side of the room and stared out the window.

Princess Rarity gave Rainbow Dash a small smile. Rainbow smirked back, sensing this was an in-joke.

Suddenly the door burst open.

"Princess Twilight!" A familiar voice called. "Lightning Strike told me you'd captured BlackJack!"

Rainbow Dash whirled around and gasped. "Scoot- Scootaloo?"

Rainbow Dash hardly recognized the little pegasus filly. She was tall and skinny, sinewy. Her wings were now fully grown and held at the ready. Her mane looked torn up. She wore a tight black uniform with a hood that she had just lowered. The uniform hid her cutie mark, but it seemed likely to Rainbow that the But the biggest shock was Scootaloo's eyepatch.

Scootaloo went down on one knee. "Captain Dash! I must congratulate you for this great capture!" She bowed her head, as if Dash was the princess herself.

Dash glanced over her shoulder, feeling nervous, and noticed that Princess Twilight was frowning. More than before, anyway.

She turned back to Scootaloo. "Erm. I didn't actually capture Applejack- two soldiers did."

Scootaloo lifted her head. "But I'm sure that it was your excellent training that allowed her to be subdued, my captain."

"Uh. Sure." Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder again. Rarity was shaking her head sadly.

"_Actually," _Princess Twilight said, annoyance in her voice, "It wasn't Blackjack that we captured at all."

Scootaloo frowned. "How has that _moon-sent_ pony tricked us this time?"

Twilight flipped her flowing mane over one shoulder. "It's a long story... but let's just say that we will be needing your expert skills, Spy Scootaloo."

* * *

There was a metal rod sticking down from the ceiling. Wires spiraled down it, ending in a dangling piece of metal that looked like a sad party hat- although Twilight Sparkle was sure that a gray part hat was against all of Pinkie's party rules. Below it was something that looked like Big Mac's cider press- a conveyor belt, she believed.

A dark purple stallion entered through a door and stood next to the computer by the conveyor belt. Turning to the guards, he said, "We've been asked to increase our quota."

"WHAT?"

Screams and moans came from the unicorns standing behind Twilight Sparkle. Some started crying.

The purple stallion turned to them. "It's not by much! Just a, uh, an extra thousand horn power! That's all, really!"

"Thousand?" a hysterical yellow unicorn demanded. "Do you know how many of us there are?"

"Over a hundred, I'm sure," the purple stallion said, "So, all you have to do is give a little extra and-"

"Some of us don't have extra to give!" shouted a stallion from way back. A skinny little preteen filly was lifted above some unicorn's head. "Look at her! How can you ask her to give any more than she already has?"

"QUIET!" a unicorn guard shouted in a magically amplified voice. "Stop complaining! The princess' rule stand, PERIOD!"

There was silence.

The purple stallion locked eyes with Twilight. "Ah! I heard about you! The princess was _very _excited about you. She already said we should run you, so I guess we can hook you up while we're waiting for the princesses to inspect the unicorns." He motioned her forward. "If you are as powerful as you look, you may be able to help the other unicorns some. You can tell they don't like the new quota; maybe you could ease their burden a bit?"

Twilight Sparkle could tell that she was being manipulated. All it took was his tone of voice.

But that didn't change the fact that it was an effective argument.

"What's the total quota?" She asked the unicorn as she stepped onto the treadmill.

"9500," the unicorn guard said, as he pulled the party hat like object down and fit it over Twilight Sparkle's horn.

_9500!_ Twilight began doing some quick calculations.

The average telekinetic spell used only a tiny amount of horn power- depending on object levitated, distance, time, things like that, but it usually hovered around 10 horn power. Many unicorns just used telekinesis and never bothered with any other powers. That left her nowhere for determining the average horn power of a pony. Why nopony had bothered to take a survey, she wasn't sure.

"Get moving already," the guard said.

Twilight began to walk.

Perhaps it had to do with the subjective nature of magic. While Celestia could, in normal circumstances, outpower any unicorn without trying very hard, it would change depending on the emotions. If Celestia, for some reason, didn't want to perform the spell she was using, and the opposing unicorn had a strong will to make his spell happen, then, if the opposing unicorn had a fair amount of power to begin with, he might possibly succeed in countering the princess. Theoretically.

Twilight's pace increased. The computer began chugging.

9500 horn power.

There were 'over a hundred' unicorns, according to the purple stallion. Each unicorn would need to produce about 95 horn power. That didn't seem that unreasonable.

"Faster!" The unicorn guard said, lashing a whip at Twilight's legs. He missed, but Twilight moved faster anyway.

950 horn power didn't _seem _unreasonable, at least at first. But that was more than the average unicorn used on a daily basis. And to make the sudden leap would be like expecting someone to run a mile when they'd never done any real running before. And doing that every day? It would wear them down- and when they wore down, they would do even worse the next day. And that wasn't even accounting for the fact that some of the unicorns were young- and therefore would have even less power.

She began to run.

She had used quite a bit of horn power once or twice, for the more complicated spells. The time-travelling spell had come with a warning that it took at least 200 hornpower, and that most unicorns should not attempt the spell if they weren't more familiar with complicated magic. Most unicorns would be quite drained from that exertion.

But it hadn't seemed that hard to Twilight.

The purple stallion glanced at the computer. He looked alarmed and motioned the other guards to come look.

Twilight Sparkle didn't want to see it. She shut her eyes and pumped her legs, the energy from her muscles adding to the energy pouring from her horn, into the machine, up the wires, off to power... whatever it was the Princess needed powering.

If she gave a little more, she might save more exhausted unicorns from having to work themselves to death.

Her muscles screamed at her to slow down, her head pounded like someone was slamming it in a door.

But she couldn't stop. If she could just give more...

Some voices called to her, telling her to stop. They sounded so distant.

Then Rarity's voice right in her ear: "Twilight Sparkle, stop right now!"

Her urgent tone startled her. Twilight stopped running, and dazedly staggered around for a bit before collapsing.

She lay on the ground, panting. Her head hurt _so _much.

The purple stallion cleared his throat. "Um. It appears we have fulfilled our quota. You can go back to your rooms now."

Twilight Sparkle fainted.

* * *

_Author's Note: Please be kind when commenting on my numbers in the last section... I wasn't thinking very hard about my calculations, I just wanted to get this chapter published. But if you have any ways to make Twilight's statistics sound more reasonable, I'd love to hear them._


	8. Arc 1 Chapter 8: Radioactive Isotopes

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 8: Radioactive Isotopes**

Fluttershy cowered in an alley, cursing her uselessness. Applejack had been seized by Princess Celestia's guards, and Fluttershy had hardly said a word in her defense.

The fact that the guards had simply not heard her was no excuse. She should have shouted. She should have cried "Hey! My friend is not a criminal! You can't take her away!"

Some use her assertiveness had been.

Well, she would make it up to Applejack! She would go to the castle right now and demand to know what crime Applejack committed. If the guards wouldn't tell her, she'd ask to see Princess Celestia.

She wasn't sure about how to get around Canterlot, but you could see the castle from anywhere. She just had to fly to it.

She started to flap her wings, when two earth ponies ran up to her.

The blue one exclaimed, "Fluttershy! I know you're busy, but I just wanted to let you know I'm putting together a SPOAF chapter in my section of Manehattan, and I was just hoping you might possibly consider coming and speaking to us someday?" She leaned up close, smiling.

Fluttershy just smiled back. "Um... I think you have the wrong, uh... Fluttershy. Uh." _What's a 'spoaf'_? she wondered. It rhymed with 'oaf'.

The two ponies stared at each other and blinked rapidly, like they simply could not comprehend the words coming from Fluttershy's mouth.

A pink pegasusflew up to them, shouting, "Come on, you two! We don't want to be late!"

The earth ponies ran after her, gesturing for Fluttershy to follow, so she did.

They entered a garden. Signs had been hung up everywhere, announcing "**SPOAF rally!** Save the squirrels!" Dozens, maybe hundreds of ponies had gathered together in front of a stage with a podium and microphone set up.

A dark green pegasus with a fluffy green mane was talking at the podium.

"...for our future fillies and colts," she said. "And now, I am pleased to welcome our special guest, the pegasus renowned around Equestria for her contribution to the well-being of all living things, Fluttershy!"

Ponies stamped their hooves and hollered with joy.

Fluttershy gasped. She was supposed to... talk to all these ponies? On stage? Now?

She collapsed, feeling faint.

But then, a quiet, familiar voice said, "Thank you, everypony. Please quiet down."

Fluttershy stuck her head above the crowd, straining to see who was at the stand. Some bulky earth ponies had moved in front of her, and whoever it was wasn't as tall as the other pegasus had been.

"I am very pleased to have the honor of speaking to you today," the pony continued. "I know that whenever SPOAF is mentioned, I am always the one credited with it's success, but I want you to always remember, I couldn't have made the impact I have had without the help of you, my little ponies. I am merely the one who called your attention to the problem that has plagued Equestria for far too long. It is you, _you _who have done all this work, by letting your voices be heard, by making a difference in your own small ways. You are the ones preserving the future of Equestria!"

Stomping of hooves, shouts and shrieks.

Fluttershy moved to a better location. She gasped. The pony in front of the podium looked just like herself!

"I have asked you to come here today because the work of the Society for the Protection of Our Animal Friends is never done. You have all done amazingly. With your help, we have created laws to protect the pigs from unfair labor, the birds from having their feathers stolen, the forests from being chopped down.

"But today, I have come to talk about the squirrels. Their homes are safe, to be sure, but their families are not. Across Equestria, ponies munch on almonds, snack on walnut cakes, nibble food made from acorn flour... and yet they never think to ask, 'Where have all these nuts come from?'

"I'll tell you where. These nuts are stolen from the mouths of little squirrel children."

Gasps.

"Trees that once belonged to the squirrels, giving their fruit for the good of squirrelkind, are being harvested by ponies to fill their greedy stomachs. Squirrels are starving while the high and noble members of the Canterlot society continue to ask for nuts in their sundaes, their cupcakes, their doughnuts. This cannot continue, my little ponies! We must stand for justice! We must make sure that the squirrels can have nuts forevermore!"

Wild cheers, ponies leaping into the air.

"Um, excuse me."

Ponies gasped and parted, revealing Fluttershy standing at the back of the crowd.

"What is it?" Asked the pony who looked so much like Fluttershy standing at the podium.

"Um. Er." Fluttershy gulped. _Well, you were planning to be courageous and talk to the guards anyway. Now would be a good chance to practice. Don't worry; not _exactly _everyone is staring at you..._ "Well. You see, miss, um..."

"Fluttershy," The pony at the podium said.

"Um. Um, sorry, miss, but, um, you must be mistaken."

"What?" Fluttershy-at-podium said. "Speak up!"

Fluttershy-on-ground took a deep breath. "Well, first of all, the nut growers don't take nuts from the squirrels. They plant other nut trees and get their nuts from those. The squirrel's nut trees stay where they are."

"Can you prove it?" Fluttershy-at-podium said.

Fluttershy-on-ground was taken aback. "Um, no, um, not exactly. Um. No."

Fluttershy-at-podium flitted her eyelashes. "You seek to defend what is so clearly a corrupt system that heavily favors ponies growing stronger at any cost while you yourself admit you cannot prove your claims?! How can you sink so low?"

Fluttershy-on-ground stammered, "I...I...I..." and then started crying and backing off.

Fluttershy-at-podium wilted. "Oh, don't cry!" She flew over join Fluttershy-on-ground and patted her on the head. "It's not you're fault! You probably didn't think about this before! ...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have acted so harshly towards you! Oh, _please _don't cry! I hate making ponies cry!" And she herself started crying.

As soon as the other Fluttershy started crying, Fluttershy-on-ground switched to comfort mode. She smiled a bit and wiped her tears away with one hoof. "Oh, d-don't worry; I feel better now. Thank you."

Fluttershy-who-was-no-longer-at-podium smiled also. "You know... it's funny how much we are alike."

"Oh, yes, that's the other thing I was going to tell you. You see, my name is Fluttershy too!"

Fluttershy-who-was-no-longer-at-podium started back and blinked at the other Fluttershy. "Are you sure? This is just too much of a coincidence."

Fluttershy-on-ground nodded. "I'm sure that's my name."

They stared at each other for a minute longer.

Then someone in the audience coughed. "I don't know anything about this... but, you know, it may sound funny, but on my way here I thought I caught a glimpse of two Rarities walking side by side- but then, one of them didn't have wings..."

_Wings? _Fluttershy-on-ground thought. _Since when did Rarity have wings?_

The two Fluttershys looked at each other again, hair slightly blocking their eyes.

"We'd better talk to Twilight," said Fluttershy-who-was-no-longer-at-podium.

"Yes, we'd better," said the other Fluttershy.

* * *

"What the hay was that, Miss Pie?" The tan female earth pony demanded.

"Fun! It was lots of FUN!" Pinkie Pie bounced in a circle around the tan earth pony. "You should have some sometime!"

"Have what?" The tan earth pony asked, looking confused.

"FUN!" Pinkie Pie tackled the earth pony.

"Oo-ow-ouch! My back!" The earth pony whined.

"Diane Pie?" Spotlight appeared around the corner. "You really should be careful about Miss Forest's back. You know how old people are about their backs..."

"I'm not old, you little wretch!" Miss Forest whipped herself up and dove after the impertinent pegasus, only to have him fly out of her reach. Spotlight giggled and pointed at her.

Pinkie Pie's eyes narrowed as Spotlight continued to laugh. Then she seized him with stretchy front legs and dragged him in front of her, glaring at him.

"Listen," she growled. "The joke is only funny if everypony laughs. Got it?"

Spotlight gasped and swallowed. He bobbed his head vigorously. "Got it, Pinkie."

Pinkie Pie glared for a moment longer. Then she smiled brightly and hugged the little pony. "Great! Now we're all friends!" She put him back in the air and turned to smile at Miss Forest.

Miss Forest didn't smile. But she didn't glare either. She just edged back.

A loud crash came from outside, and a blur of pink sped into the room, screeching, "OhmyTwilightohmyTWILIGHT that guard is a jerk!" The blur came to a halt beside Miss Forest.

Pinkie Pie gasped. Unlike the other ponies, she was not gasping at seeing herself standing there. That wasn't unusual or anything. No, what shocked her was the hair.

This duplicate-Pinkie had her hair and tail perfectly straight and flat. Her coat was pink, true, but it seemed faded. She seemed in every way an adult version of Pinkie as she had looked when she was a filly on the rock farm.

Sort of. But then, as a filly she had kept her mane long. Duplicate-Pinkie had cut her mane short in a professional looking way. The tail was the same way: short and well-groomed. She wore a gold watch around one hoof.

"Forest Breeze!" she shouted. "What is the meaning of this!? The guard wouldn't let me in because the show was 'being taken care of'. What in Equestria is _that _supposed to mean, hmm?" She leaned reeeeal close to Forest Breeze, forcing the tan earth pony to lean back. Duplicate-Pinkie pulled back her lips in a dog-like snarl. "I hope for _your _sake, Miss Forest, that this is simply a cruel, cruel joke."

Forest Breeze looked like she wanted to get out of the conversation by fainting but couldn't quiet manage to black out. "D-d-d-d-diane?" She stammered, closing her eyes and swaying back.

"Golly!" Spotlight said. "I thought _this _was you, Miss Pie!" he pointed at Pinkie Pie from his safe refuge high in the air.

"WHAT?" Diane Pie whirled around and marched toward Pinkie Pie, glaring at her. "And who, may I ask, are you, Miss Messyhair?"

Pinkie Pie matched her, glare for glare. "I could ask you the same question, Miss Fadedcoat."

They had a brief glare war, eyeing each other, shoving their heads forward and back, tilting their heads down and downer, all the better to look menacing with.

Then Pinkie Pie burst out laughing. "You blinked!" She tossed herself backward and rolled on the carpet.

For a moment, Diane Pie looked even more angry. But then she laughed also.

"The look on your face, Miss Forest," she said, turning around. "For a moment I thought you were going to melt."

Forest Breeze shook herself and commenced glaring. "Well, you can't expect me to _somehow _know that you now have a... changeling twin!"

Both Pies stopped laughing.

"Her?" Pinkie Pie asked. "A changeling? _No! _Changelings can't glare that well for beans! No, wait, what would a changeling want with beans? Changelings don't eat beans! They can't glare that well for chocolate! Of course changelings want chocolate! Everyone wants chocolate!"

"She was talking about _you_," Diane Pie said. "But, seriously, how did you get here?"

Pinkie Pie stopped and blinked. Then she shrugged so high her shoulders reached her ears. "I dunno. I've always been here. How did _you _get here?"

Diane Pie blinked. Then she turned to Forest Breeze. "I need to visit my friend, Twilight."

"Ooh, Twilight's your best friend?" Pinkie Pie asked, as Diane Pie seized her hoof and started dragging her away. "Mine too! But then I have _lots _of best friends..."

* * *

_Author's Note: If you'd like to see what Forest Breeze and Spotlight look like, first find Generalzoi's pony creator. Just Google it; I guarantee you'll find it. Then enter the following pony codes in their appropriate places. Remove all spaces. The code for the pony itself goes in the 'advance' section of the 'create' section while the pony's accessories code goes in the 'advanced' section of the 'accessories' section. Due to the nature of these codes, they won't have their cutie marks._

_For Forest Breeze:_

332G1F6000BFA834FFC49D002010 0F

E15UN3B1E004001000A128206600 AF

1505107F3FCC004CB2

_Her accessories:_

066CC66B3E7C3E066CC6634

A468C066CC6604E8FBAFFFF8

C066CC66066CC66066CC66066CC6 6

_For Spotlight:_

233V0E101296F6FE9EB5FE2

00007FBA00UP1837043020001

H0EAFE4DFF7FFF19107F3FCC004C B2


	9. Arc 1 Chapter 9: Something Scary

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 9: Something Scary**

_More ponycodes! Remember to erase the spaces._

_Jet Black (the black soldier with the fireball cutie mark): 33341D30600000007C7C7C006010 0BB96IN1837205000001S1CC983F 994D4D1Y107F3FCC004CB2_

_Shield Wing (the other, younger soldier): 2T3O0X1062DEFEB5A36565200000 0BA16RP1837000020001H1B3BC6A 49562B13107F3FCC004CB2_

Princess Twilight Sparkle paced the length of the room, her mane flowing gracefully despite the lack of wind.

Rainbow Dash thought she was showing off.

Scootaloo remained on her knees, her eyes following the Princess's motion.

Then they flashed back to Rainbow Dash. "Captain, what are my orders?"

Rainbow Dash opened and closed her mouth, afraid to say anything.

Princess Twilight turned around. "Ahem."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Yes, Princess?"

"Let me brief you on the situation. A portal has been opened to the past. Versions of me and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony from the past have infiltrated our fair city. These must be aprehended or we risk damaging the space-time continuum."

Scootaloo rose to her hooves and stood at attention. "So you are saying we have not captured Applejack? Just a past version of herself with no knowledge of her crimes?"

"Essentially."

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "But, you majesty, this is excellent news!"

Princess Rarity, who had been moodily studying her bracelets during this discussion, turned to meet Scootaloo's eyes. "How so?"

"We now have Applejack at our mercy! We can now fix the timeline so that she never committed any crimes against Equestria or you our fair rulers! We can change everything for the better!"

Rainbow Dash managed to keep her jaw from dropping. What had happened to Scootaloo?

Princess Twilight turned, her expression blank. "As desirable as it might seem to you to stop Applejack before she even has a chance to do anything wrong, we would risk causing the universe to collapse on itself. I don't want to have to explain all the possible paradoxes that might arise from that. Or the past could become even worse. My younger, foalish self would see the destruction of her innocent friend as senselessly cruel, and this might cause her to become withdrawn, emotionless, and a dominating tyrant. We can't have that." She turned to pace to the other side of the room and caught a glimpse of Princess Rarity rolling her eyes. "What?!" She shoved herself next to Rarity. "Are you trying to say I am cruel and evil in _this _timeline? How could you say such a thing? You are _damaging our friendship_." And she reared back, as though that was the greatest threat she could have possibly pronounced.

Princess Rarity blinked and studied her bracelets again.

"But that isn't why I wanted you, Scootaloo," said Princess Twilight Sparkle, turning to the orange pegasus again. "I just want you to find the remaining infiltrators- Fake Fluttershy, Fake Pinkie Pie, and Fake Rainbow Dash."

"Fake Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo screamed, as if the most ancient laws had been broken. "How could they? Nothing they can concoct can compare with the utter awesomeness that is the real thing! No fear, Princess Twilight. If there are any fake Rainbow Dashes running about, I'll destroy them all!" Scootaloo seemed to have little flames in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to shiver.

"You can't just destroy the Rainbow Dash clones!" Princess Rarity said.

"No, you're right," Scootaloo said, the flames vanishing.

Princess Rarity sighed with relief.

"I'll destroy the clones of EVERYPONY!" Scootaloo screamed, flailing her hooves wildly.

The two princesses exchanged disturbed looks.

"Um, excuse me," Fluttershy said.

Everypony whirled around to stare at two Fluttershys standing at the door.

"I'm sorry," one of the Fluttershys said, "I didn't want to interrupt, but you see there's this strange pony here who looks exactly like me and claims to come from the time when Celestia ruled..."

Scootaloo pounced on the other Fluttershy, drawing a dagger from a pocket in her black suit.

Fluttershy screamed. Rainbow Dash and both princesses converged upon Scootaloo, shouting for her to stop. Rainbow Dash seized Scootaloo's tail and flew backwards with her as the two princesses formed a protective barrier around both Fluttershys.

The Fluttershy from the past was lying on the ground, crying. The other Fluttershy lifted her hoof, shocked. Then she turned and snarled at Rainbow Dash, "She's _clearly _your special pupil."

"Fluttershy!" Princess Rarity gasped.

The Fluttershy who was from the timeline that they were currently in turned her head away from Rainbow Dash, her nose in the air. "I just remembered I'm not speaking to you," she said.

"Oh, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle sighed.

Just then a blur of pink entered the room.

Two Pinkie Pies crashed landed, one on top of the other.

"That was fun!" the one with the curly mane said. "Can we do it again?"

"No!" the straight-maned one screamed. She slipped out from under the other Pinkie Pie and screamed at Twilight, "THIS PONY IS AN IMPERSONATOR!"

"NO I'M NOT!" the curly maned one said, matching her volume but with a much more light hearted tone. "I'M AN IMPONYATOR!"

"I am the real Diane Pie!" the straight maned one said.

"I am twice as real as you are!" the curly maned one replied.

"I'm the element of laughter, you idiot!"

"I actually laugh, you smarty!" The curly maned Pinkie Pie then demonstrated, rolling on the floor as she chuckled.

Princess Rarity pounced on Scootaloo and held her down.

"Hey!" Scootaloo screamed.

"I'm afraid if you can't act mature and demonstrate discernment, you will have to stay on the floor for now," Princess Rarity said.

"Captain Dash, Rarity," Princess Twilight Sparkle said, "A word."

Princess Rarity went behind the two thrones, dragging Scootaloo behind her. Princess Twilight followed. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and flew after them. She had avoided saying anything if she could help it, so as to avoid blowing her cover.

A purple shield surrounded the two princesses and Rainbow Dash while shutting out Scootaloo.

"Well," Princess Rarity said, "You've gotten your wish. You now have two of the three remaining imposters in your grasp."

Princess Twilight turned to look at the ponies outside, a pained expression on her face.

"I didn't think fake Fluttershy would turn herself in," she said.

"She doesn't even know she's causing a problem!" Princess Rarity said. "What are you going to do with her, Sparkie?"

"Captain Dash?" Princess Twilight said. "You seem pretty quiet today."

Rainbow Dash shifted her hoof. "Oh, my mind is just on other things," she said, hoping they wouldn't ask what.

"Scootaloo?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Or... Fluttershy?" Princess Rarity asked, looking concerned.

"Don't let her get to you!" Princess Twilight said, without waiting for an answer. "Fluttershy has... changed."

"Reign her in, for Celestia's sake!" Princess Rarity said. "I mean- oh, is it Scootaloo?"

"Or... Fluttershy?" Princess Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash just shrugged. "Uh, sort of all of them. Sort of. But, what about Pinkie Pie?"

"Diane Pie?" Princess Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash resisted flinching. Had she given herself away?

Princess Twilight studied the two pink earth ponies, who were still arguing. Only one was smiling.

"She said she was going to get a manecut," Princess Twilight said.

"She might have done it for old time's sake," Princess Rarity said. "Maybe she has heard us arguing."

"And she dyed her coat to a deeper pink?" Princess Twilight said. "And she asked us to call her Pinkie Pie? And she is..." Princess Twilight didn't finish, but she waved her hoof at the curly maned Pinkie Pie, who was now standing on her head.

"Maybe for old time's sake?" Princess Rarity said again, her voice softer.

Rainbow Dash saw it on both of the princess's faces. They knew full well which one was the 'fake' Pinkie Pie.

But they desperately wanted it to be the gray, straight-maned one who was fake.

Maybe she could give them a little nudge.

"There's one thing we could do," she said, stepping forward. "I could take one of the Pinkie Pies into another room and ask them some questions only the modern Pinkie Pie could answer correctly. Then I can tell you if she's real or fake."

Princess Twilight turned towards her. "I should be the one doing the questioning," she said. "I can remember better than you can."

"Maybe," Rainbow Dash said, "But your emotions would get in the way. No offence, I mean, but you might give her clues that could alter the results. These clones might be clever, and you know Pinkie Pie."

The two princesses smiled at each other.

"Yes," Princess Rarity said, "We _do _know Pinkie Pie."

"And you _are _the most emotionally resilient among us," Princess Twilight said. "Go for it, Captain Dash."

Rainbow Dash got on one knee. "Thank _you_, your highness."

* * *

"All right," Rainbow Dash said, pulling the straight maned Pinkie Pie into the other room, "This is just to see if you are real or fake."

"I'm _obviously _the real one," Diane Pie said, tossing her short mane. "In fact, I am mortally offended that you feel the need to test me! Am I not special enough?"

At Rainbow's shocked expression, Diane Pie started giggling. "Heh heh. Yeah, right, Dashie. I know you follow the rules like a... like something that follows the rules really well. A ruler! Like a ruler!"

"Er, okay," said Rainbow Dash. "So. Question 1: What happened to Princess Celestia?"

"Ha!" Diane Pie booped Rainbow on the nose. "Trick question! I wasn't there! Gotcha!"

That wasn't the answer Rainbow Dash had been looking for.

"Well, _maybe_, but you should at least have a vague notion of what happened," Rainbow Dash said. "That is, if you're the real Pinkie Pie."

"DIANE Pie! DIANE Pie!" Diane Pie shouted. "I am too real! Twilight sealed Celestia in the sun and Luna in the moon. Simple as Diane Pie!"

"But how could she have done any sealing if you weren't there?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

Diane Pie leaned waaaay back and rubbed her hoof under her chin. "Hmm. I dunno. Sparkie never explained that bit. How _did _she do it if I wasn't there?"

"I have no clue," Rainbow Dash said.

"Next question! Or have I already won?" Diane Pie lept to her feet.

"Nope! That stuff is common enough knowledge! You need to answer a harder question!"

"Okie-dokie-lokie."

"Question 2: Did I ever join the Wonderbolts?"

"Duh!" Diane Pie said. "Next question!"

"Is that 'duh yes' or 'duh no'?" Rainbow Dash said. "You could just be saying 'duh' to hide the fact that you don't actually know the answer."

"Oh, come on!"

"You're stalling! You must be fake!"

"Fine, then, if you insist." Diane Pie tossed her mane back and strutted to a corner. "You sorta made the Wonderbolts join you, didn't you?"

"What?" Rainbow Dash blinked.

"After you were appointed Captain of the royal guard, you told Twilight that you felt the Wonderbolts were becoming obsolete, as they flew around doing tricks when ponies of their skills were needed in the royal guard. So Twilight told the Wonderbolts to either join the army or stop performing trick shows, and most of them joined you."

"Um. Question 3: What's up with Scootaloo?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it!"

"She idolizes you, you trained her in combat, now she's almost as much of a louse as you. What else is there to say?"

"What about Fluttershy? Why does she hate me?"

"You're asking a lot of questions about yourself."

"Well, those are the kind of questions where I'd best know the correct answer."

"Oh, well, Fluttershy is still mad at you for killing your pet turtle."

"For- I mean, _how _did I kill it?"

"Neglect. It fell off a cloud. Fluttershy claims it committed suicide because you never played with it or fed it or gave it water. But I don't think turtles commit suicide."

Rainbow Dash decided she utterly detested her future self.

"What about you? What happened to make you all gray?"

The question seemed to make Diane Pie turn even grayer. She stalked silently into a corner, hanging her head. In a low, menacing voice, she said, "I thought I told you never to ask me that question."

"I-It was just for the quiz," Rainbow Dash said, but she knew she would get no answer. "Erm. Game over. Heh heh." She shoved Diane Pie into the throne room, where all the ponies looked at her expectantly.

"I'm going to question the other Pink- Diane Pie now," Rainbow Dash said, seizing the curly maned pony and dragging her into the next room.

"Um, Twilight- I mean, your highness," Future Fluttershy said.

"Yes?" Princess Twilight asked.

"I was hoping... I mean, this younger Fluttershy isn't doing any harm, so I was wondering if maybe I could take her home to help me? ...That is, uh, if she doesn't mind." Fluttershy turned to herself, smiling sweetly.

Past Fluttershy smiled. "That sounds wonderful! I'd love to see what your work is."

Princess Twilight shuffled her hooves. "Um. Er. That sounds... acceptable."

"Thank you," the two Fluttershies said in unison, bowing out of the room.

* * *

"Okay, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said.

"I am the real one, you know," Pinkie Pie said.

"Yeah, I know. And I'm the 'real' Rainbow Dash. As in, the one from the world where Twilight Sparkle and Rarity aren't princesses."

"Funny coincidence! I'm from that world too!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Yeah, so, this is important: If we don't want to get arrested, we have to make the princesses _think _we're the ones from the other world, our older selves so to speak."

"Oh, is that what that grumpy pink pony is? My older self?" Pinkie looked at the door. "Gee, Dashie, I don't ever want to grow old if it means getting so... gray."

"That's not important right now," Rainbow Dash said. "Listen, I learned a lot about this future world from your older self."

Rainbow Dash repeated all the information she'd learned from the questions.

"Wow," Pinkie Pie said. "You're a jerk!"

Rainbow Dash glared at her.

"I mean future you, of course!" Pinkie Pie laughed, then stopped, locking her legs together. "Oh! Pinchy knee!"

"Pinchy knee?" Rainbow Dash said, backing off. "What does that mean?"

"It means that something scary is about to happen, and it's gonna happen... out there!" Pinkie pointed at the door.

Rainbow Dash yanked the door open. Aside from the missing Fluttershys, she couldn't see anything amiss.

"Are you done?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Er, yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "I've concluded that-"

"Princess Twilight!"

Rainbow Dash spun around, staring at the pegasus that had just entered. She wore armor, and her wings were done in the style of the royal guards, but other than that she looked just like Rainbow Dash.

The new arrival had only enough time to open her mouth in shock before she was attacked. An orange blur whized past, slamming the future Rainbow Dash into the ground. Scootaloo growled at her, yanking out her dagger.

"How dare you impersonate Captain Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo growled around her dagger before plunging the blade into Rainbow Dash's wings.

"No!" Rainbow Dash shouted, twisting away. Several of her feathers were bent, but there was no blood. "Princess Twilight?"

The princess gave no answer other than a glowing horn. With a snap, Rainbow Dash's royal guard wings vanished.

Captain Dash gasped. "Twilight?" she said, her voice more panicked.

"Guards!" Scootaloo called.

The cream-and-brown spotted pony and the black pony from before charged into the room, pinning Captain Dash on the ground and dragging her away.

"Princess! No! What are you doing to me? Your highness?!" Captain Rainbow Dash screamed as she was dragged from the room.

From her place next to Pinkie Pie, the Rainbow Dash from the past left her mouth hanging open, unable to wrap her mind around what she'd seen.

"See?" Pinkie Pie whispered in her ear. "Something scary."


	10. Arc 1 Chapter 10: Unsettling Discoveries

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 10: Unsettling Discoveries**

"You will be such a help to SPOAF," Future Fluttershy said as she flew up the mountain trail.

"I hope so," Past Fluttershy panted. She had given up flying long ago and was now trudging along on her hooves. "Why... do you... live so far... from Canterlot?"

"To be closer to the animals that live here," Future Fluttershy said, waving hi to a pair of birds that flew past. "And... and one other thing." She turned around, flying backwards as she looked Past Fluttershy in the eye. "You would do anything to help the animals, wouldn't you?"

Past Fluttershy paused. "Of course. Why?"

Future Fluttershy flew up to a rock. "Just wanted to make sure we were of the same mind. That's all." She sang a brief song that Fluttershy had never heard before, and the rock ground aside, revealing a set of stairs into the ground.

"Come on then," Future Fluttershy said, trotting down the stairs. Past Fluttershy followed, and was greeted by a family of mice. They entered an underground cave with a few rooms branching off of it, filled with animals, animal homes, and comfortable furniture.

"Ohhh," Past Fluttershy cooed, floating over to look at a collection of bunnies in a snuggly den. "It's so adorable!"

"The room, or the bunny?" Future Fluttershy said, smirking.

Past Fluttershy could not remember the last time she'd smirked. "Uh. Both." She spun around and admired all the animals. "Oh, what is this place, that is so wonderful? Aw, you have chipmunks! And an otter! And a tortoise! And kittens and cats and- wait, huh?" Past Fluttershy did a double take. "That cat..."

"You do want to help the animals, right?" Future Fluttershy said, casting her eyes to the ground.

"That's Opalescence! And that's Tank! And that's Winnoa! And that huge crocodile... no, that isn't little Gummy, is it? What are they doing here? Don't tell me you have Owlowiscious too!"

"Yes," Future Fluttershy said, making herself small.

"What are they doing here?"

Future Fluttershy burst into tears. "I just couldn't take it! I couldn't leave Winnoa and that poor owl with those ponies! They were working them almost to death! I had to do something! And Opalescence wouldn't have lasted another day with Rarity and her smothering affection! Neither would any of her other cats! And Gummy, oh, Gummy... well, would you leave him with an owner like Diane Pie?"

Past Fluttershy blinked. "I... I..."

"And Tank was being terribly neglected! You should have seen how Rainbow Dash treated him! It was just horrible!" Future Fluttershy fainted on the couch.

Past Fluttershy just stood there. Conversations tend to grind to a halt when one of the participants faints.

A rabbit hopped up to her.

"Oh, Angel!" Fluttershy sighed, stroking his back with her wing. "You seem just as bouncy as you were when I left you ten years ago!"

Angel looked from her to the Fluttershy on the couch and then stood on his hind legs and gave an exagerated shrug. He remained in that position, his head cocked to one side and his eyes wide.

"Oh... You want to know who I am?" Past Fluttershy sat back. "Well, the short version is, I'm from ten years ago, and I time travelled to the future." She leaned down and looked Angel in the eye. "I, uh, don't suppose there's anything you want to warn me about?"

A shudder went through the little rabbit's body, and he hopped to the other end of the room, stopping to scratch his ear, and sniffed around for hay. Fluttershy knew that game; occasionally, Angel would suddenly try to pretend he was not unusually intelligent. Fluttershy wondered if Angel had changed at all.

"Oooooooh..." Future Fluttershy heaved herself off of the couch. "Oh, I'm sorry, Me. I just get so scared when I remember the terrible treatment my children had to go through."

"Children?" Past Fluttershy stared at Angel, who shrugged.

"My children, yes. Adopted children, but still mine." Future Fluttershy picked up a passing racoon and hugged it gently. "You know, it's a little inconvenient to know what to call you... but I'll tell you what. I was knighted a while ago for my work with animals. You may call me Dame Fluttershy if you prefer, and you can be just plain Fluttershy."

"Okay, if you say so," Fluttershy said. "Uh, Dame Fluttershy... have you told any of our friends where their pets are?"

"No!" Dame Fluttershy shrieked. "I mean, no. Rarity would just disolve in a puddle, and Twilight Sparkle would hate me for all eternity, and you really don't want to see Diane Pie when she decides the earth would be better off without you..."

"Then why did you do it?" Fluttershy said.

"You can't ask me to put the feelings of my friends ahead of the well being of these creatures, which have just as many rights as you!" Dame Fluttershy put the racoon down and flew in front of Fluttershy with her hooves on her hips.

"They don't, though!" Fluttershy said.

"Fluttershy!" Dame Fluttershy gasped, flying backward into the couch. "I'm ashamed of you. Can you look Angel in the eye and say that he has no rights? Can you say that despite his intelligence and seeming conscience, he isn't worth as much as you?"

"I didn't say..." Fluttershy started, looking at Angel. He was hiding in a cardboard box that was clearly meant for the mice family.

"I can't believe you," Dame Fluttershy said. "Was I really that ignorant?"

"I... I'm sorry," Fluttershy said, shrinking into a corner.

"You will be," Dame Fluttershy said, glaring at Fluttershy. Her eyes grew large, energy radiated from them...

Fluttershy staggered around, feeling dazed.

"You will not tell about these animals," Dame Fluttershy said.

"I will not tell about these animals," Fluttershy repeated.

"You will do everything you can to help SPOAF," Dame Fluttershy said.

"I will do everything I can to help SPOAF," Fluttershy repeated.

"Good girl," Dame Fluttershy said, patting her younger self on the head.

"Good girl," Fluttershy muttered.

* * *

"Captain Dash?"

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Dashie! Are you alright?"

Rainbow Dash shook herself and glanced at the two princesses. "Yeah, just dandy." She grinned at them. "Just a bit stunned to see myself."

Princess Twilight stared at the ground. "It was your wings, wasn't it? I mean, her wings. I'm sorry to shock you like that, but it seemed like the easiest method to subdue your duplicate."

Rainbow Dash bobbed her head. "Yeah."

"Ahem," said Diane Pie.

Everypony else jumped.

"Oops," Princess Rarity said, "We forgot. Er. Which one is real, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash pointed at Pinkie Pie. "She is."

Scootaloo seized Diane Pie and tied her hooves behind her back before anypony could say anything.

"What?" Diane Pie said as she was led off. "You liar! You... you... _traitor._"

Princess Twilight instantly raced over to Rainbow Dash and started stroking Rainbow's mane as though she was a little pegasus again. "Oh, Dashie, don't worry about it; you aren't a traitor, you're doing your job, right?"

Diane Pie was dragged out of the room.

"Yeeeeah," Rainbow Dash said, a little creeped out by Princess Twilight's sudden affection.

"Well," Princess Twilight said, "If we're all done here, I'm going to go do some more studying." She beamed and pranced off, her dark purple, diaphonous wings fluttering happily.

* * *

Spike screamed.

"It's just a needle," Princess Twilight said, telekinetically moving the hypodermic needle forward. "It'll all be over in less than a minute, trust me." She plunged it in Spike's arm.

"AUGH!" Spike shrieked as the needle drew out a blood sample.

"I'm done," said Princess Twilight. "No, seriously, Spike, stop screaming." She trotted to the microscope and put a dot of blood under the lens.

Spike whimpered.

The princess put her eye to the eyepiece. "Hmm. Nothing totally unexpected, still, the readings should give me... wait, what's that?!"

Spike leaned his head forward, staring at Twilight expectedly.

"No," Princess Twilight whispered. "It can't be, not so soon... no..." She took her eye from the eyepiece and fled into the hall, knocking Rainbow Dash over in the process.

Princess Twilight backtracked a bit. "Dashie? Were you... no, never mind. Just look at these!" she shoved some charts into Rainbow Dash's face.

"Er..." Rainbow said, worrying there was something she was supposed to be understanding.

"Oh, I forgot... sorry... you!" She dashed towards a purple unicorn stallion standing nearby. "Look at these!"

The purple stallion levitated the charts towards himself. "I... these look like the same sample to me..."

"No," Princess Twilight said softly. "No, I can't... you there!" She flew over to another unicorn. "Could you please look at these and check my analysis?"

The unicorn looked them over. "Everything is in order, princess."

"No!" Princess Twilight flew out the window. "Fluttershy! You're back! Take a look at this!"

Rainbow poked her head out the window to see Fluttershy shaking her head sadly.

"No!" Princess Twilight flew back in the window (making Rainbow Dash duck) and ran into her lab. She studied the charts her magic was holding, frantically looking from one to the other.

Then she turned to Spike. "Spike?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Could you...?" She floated the charts in front of Spike's face.

Spike stared at the printouts. "It's just a row of numbers, Twilight. The numbers in each column match exactly. I don't see how you could read those wrong, especially with four opinions."

Princess Twilight turned aside. "No. No, this can't... not now... not now... No. No! **No!**"

The tower burst apart in a spray of flying bricks and purple energy. Lab equipment flew around in a magenta tornado. Spike, still strapped to a machine, was flung into a pile of rocks.

"**NO!**" Princess Twilight screamed in the Royal Canterlot voice, remaining in the sky. "**NO!**" The grass burst into violet flames.

Guards ran forward and quicky retreated. A pegasus flew off screaming, "Princess Rarity!"

Spike's machine tipped forward at that moment, obscuring his view of the rest of the scene, though through the corner of his eye he could still see magical winds flinging debris around.

"TWILIGHT!" Princess Rarity shouted. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"

"Sparkie?" said Rainbow Dash uncertainly.

"**_NOOO!_**" Princess Twilight screamed in reply.

"Stop! Twilight! **Twilight Sparkle!**" Princess Rarity boomed in the Royal Canterlot voice. "**What are you doing?**"

The storm stopped raging. Hooves stomped next to Spike's hiding place. Then somepony began sobbing.

"Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Oh, Sparkie," Princess Rarity said. "What happened, dear?"

Spike was lifted back into an upright position.

"The... the tests," Princess Twilight sobbed. In less than a minute, her clothes had been torn, her crown had been lost, and her hair was as wild as it was when she became anxious. "I... the spots... it was too late, Rare-rare. Ten years ago, and it was still too late." Twilight burst into a flood of tears.

"Rare-rare?" said Spike.

Rare-rare, alias Princess Rarity, pulled Princess Twilight into a hug and rubbed her hoof in circles on Twilight's back. "Oh, Sparkie. Poor, poor Sparkie."

The two remained like that for a while, with Rainbow Dash awkwardly hovering in the air besides them.

"Captain Dash?" a guard whispered, and Rainbow Dash followed him to a spot nearby, looking relieved.

"Sparkie?" Princess Rarity asked, very softly.

"Yes?"

"Do... do you think... I-I mean, is there... should we... our, err, our past selves..."

"Oh," Princess Twilight pulled away from Princess Rarity. Very calmly and slowly, like the frozen surface of a river, she said, "Yes... I... suppose there is no real reason to let our past selves remain in this time stream. So then. Next opportunity, we shall erase their memories and send them back to their own time. I still remember the spell." She trotted towards the castle, mane waving in the wind, then spread her wings and flew up to a balcony of the castle.


	11. Arc 1 Chapter 11: Hourglasses

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 11: Hourglasses**

_Author's Note: In wake of the events of the last chapter and the realization that one of the scenes can be interpreted multiple ways, I'd like to take this moment to inform you that what few couples are featured in this story are all straight._

* * *

Applejack could hear Diane Pie almost a whole minute before she was thrown in the cell with her.

"You are going to be sorry you ever messed with me! You are all going down in the most hideous way imaginable! I am obviously the real me, you idiots! You IDIOTS! Stop this moment! TWILIGHT SPARKLE! YOUR ROYAL MESSUPYNESS! DO YOU HEAR ME? STOP THIS!"

The wingless Rainbow Dash had been brought in less than ten minutes ago. She had just plopped herself on her cot, sunk her head in the pillow, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Applejack had tried to comfort her, only to have Rainbow Dash growl at her.

"Get away from me," she'd hissed. "This is all your fault! I'm the real Rainbow Dash, but no one will listen to me, and it's all your fault!" She'd clubbed Applejack over the head with her hoof.

Applejack could feel a lump forming on her head now.

She knew she couldn't be the real Rainbow Dash. The real Rainbow Dash wouldn't have let herself be seen crying, at least not in front of Applejack.

But now, Fake Rainbow Dash got off her bed and listened to the screams. She folded her legs under her body and faced the door, eyes narrowed in concentration.

The guards opened the door and crammed the shrieking pink pony in. Diane Pie flailed with all her limbs (all six of them) but ultimately was put in jail.

She scrambled to her feet and seemed about to yell something, but before she could say anything, or the guards could close the door, Rainbow Dash streaked towards the narrow opening, almost too fast to see.

Applejack threw her full weight in the path of the speeding pony, and they crashed together. The guards closed the door and ran off to Diane Pie's screams. "You'll regret this! I won't let you get away with this! I won't!"

Rainbow Dash glared at Applejack. "You sneaking little jerk!" And she bit Applejack's leg while kicking her in the stomach.

Applejack shouted and tried to pull away, but Rainbow Dash pursued her, wrapping her forelegs around her neck and trying to choke her. Applejack stumbled and fell to the floor, trying to twist her head out of the pegasus' grasp.

"You do know she's the wrong Applejack, don't you?" Diane Pie sighed.

"What do you mean, the wrong Applejack?"

Applejack's thrashing was growing weaker. She couldn't breathe.

"Just like the other Rainbow Dash was the wrong Rainbow Dash," Diane Pie said. "There's a wrong everypony. That's the wrong Applejack. She's from the past- you know, back when we were _friends_." She spat the word out.

Rainbow Dash let go and slunk back to her cot. Applejack gasped for air.

"You despicable creature," Rainbow Dash growled to Applejack.

"Would ya mind telling me what I did wrong before you suffocate me?" Applejack demanded.

Rainbow Dash turned to face the wall, which she stared at as intently as Diane Pie stared at the bars.

They remained that way for a long time.

* * *

"Rise and shine," Dame Fluttershy muttered.

Fluttershy rose from the bed provided, yawning. "It was a long day yesterday, wasn't it?"

"Indeed," Dame Fluttershy smiled. "It's quite shocking to meet your exact duplicate... but I'm afraid our ways must part."

"What?" said Fluttershy.

"Princess Twilight's orders," Dame Fluttershy said, flying out from the hidden house. "It's time for you to go home now."

"She can send us home?" Fluttershy said. "Oh, that would be lovely! I thought we were trapped here!"

"No such thing," Dame Fluttershy said. "No one ever remains trapped anywhere, even when they should..." she trailed off, looking to the sky.

"What?" Fluttershy said.

"Trust no prison," Dame Fluttershy said. "That's all. If you could take advice back to your world, I would tell you... don't rely on past experience."

"Oh," Fluttershy said.

There seemed nothing else to be said.

* * *

"What are we going to do about Diane Pie?" Princess Twilight asked.

Princess Rarity shrugged. "Do you think, if her memories were erased, she might be nicer...?"

"We-ellll..." Princess Twilight shrugged. The two ponies stared at each other for quite a while.

"Okay," Princess Twilight whispered. Then, louder, to the guards: "Please bring me the three prisoners from the past, and the two unicorns from the past, and Spike the dragon from the past." Then she turned to Princess Rarity again.

"It was nice, wasn't it, to remember what we once were..." Princess Rarity mused.

Princess Twilight shook her head. "Never again. I wish this second heartbreak had never happened."

* * *

"Where y'all taking us?" Applejack asked the guard as she was escorted down the hall.

"The Princess is planning to erase your memory and send you back to where you came from," the guard said.

"Now?" said Applejack. "But... but..."

"But what?"

"Can't ya just tell me what I did wrong?"

The guard pushed open the door to the throne room, where Princess Twilight Sparkle waited for them.

"You did nothing wrong," Princess Twilight said. "You were just at the wrong place in the wrong time. This isn't a punishment; just an attempt to establish equilibrium."

"I didn't mean what I did _here_," Applejack said, "I meant what I did wrong _now_. I mean, what I will do wrong. I mean, what did my future self do?"

Pain etched itself into the Princess' face. "It doesn't matter," she said softly. "Even if I told you, you would only forget in a few seconds anyway."

"Wait," said Future Rainbow Dash from behind Applejack, "You mean you're going to erase _my _memory?"

"Of course," said Princess Twilight. "Everypony will be sent to their correct timeline."

"But- but- but my timeline is _here, _Your Highness!"

"I'm not fooled by that," said Princess Twilight. "That's just the sort of trick I expect you to play, Rainbow."

"_NO!_" Captain Rainbow Dash screamed. "You are making a terrible mistake, Twilight! You need _me, me!_"

"Hey hold on," Diane Pie said, "What about _me me me me me? _I mean you can't seriously believe _she's _the correct one!" She pointed at Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie looked confused. "_I _think I'm... wait, hold on, do I have to stay _here _if you think I'm the right one?"

"Ye-es..." Princess Twilight said.

Pinkie Pie launched herself into a begging pose at Princess Twilight's feet. "Then pleasepleaseplease send me back! I'm the wrong Pinkie Pie! Send me back send me back send me baaaack!" And she started crying.

"Oh, _now_ you want to send us back," said Rarity, who had only just arrived. "What? Don't want to milk us for any more horn power? Ready to just work the unicorns you originally had to death?"

"_I _can't believe this is any future version of ourselves!" Twilight Sparkle screamed. "Not unless you've all been Discorded and dyed!"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" demanded Dame Fluttershy, who had just entered. "Do you think-"

"Stop," said Princess Twilight Sparkle. "Somepony is missing."

"What?" said Captain Dash.

"I count only eight ponies, one dragon, and two guards in this room. We should have eleven ponies and one dragon and two guards."

"Who's missing?" asked Princess Rarity, hovering slightly with her gorgeous wings.

Princess Twilight rubbed her hoof under her chin. "Me, and the other Twilight. You and the other Rarity. Two Pinkie Pies..."

"Diane Pies," said Diane Pie.

"One Pinkie and one Diane," Pinkie Pie said. "Now everypony's happy! Whee-hee! Happy happy..."

"Dame Fluttershy, fake Rainbow Dash, and... oh, dear."

"Guards!" Captain Rainbow Dash shouted, leaping into the air and crashing spectacularily (she'd forgotten about her missing wings). "We have some ponies to round up! Search for a pegasus masquerading as me, a pegasus that looks like Fluttershy, and the fearsome Black Jack!"

* * *

Fluttershy flew towards the mountain, beating her wings slowly. She had to take her time, or she would surely run out of breath before she even got to the mountain.

She knew she was betraying a kindness. Her mind was screaming at her to stop, fly back, let her memory be erased, and trust that her future self knew best.

But deep inside, she felt a drive to make sure, at the very least, that her future friends knew what had really happened to their beloved pets.

She somehow hadn't been able to make herself tell them. She'd been unable to get the words out and had choked on them (but very quietly, so that no one noticed). But she felt certain she could _show _them.

* * *

Rainbow Dash blasted through the sky at incredible speed, making no effort to pace herself. She just felt she had to get away.

She couldn't put into words what she feared. She knew she was 'abandoning' her friends, but she didn't think this counted. Now, she was flying to find help.

She didn't trust the princess Twilight Sparkle one bit, and didn't believe that all she wanted to do was uphold the timeline. Nothing but bad could come out of this enchantment.

Because somehow, somewhere along the line, Captain Rainbow Dash must have transformed from a lovable jerk to an unbearable jerk.

And she wanted to know how to stop it.

"There she is!" somepony screamed. "Quick! After her!"

Rainbow Dash glanced over her shoulder and saw some pegasus guards in pursuit. But the best they could do was keep her in sight. They couldn't catch her.

* * *

Applejack crept through the castle halls, looking nervously to each side. She wasn't much for sneaking.

It probably wasn't her business. She probably would be better off not knowing. There must be some reason why nopony would tell her the crime her future self had committed.

She needed to know.

And that was why she just _couldn't_ stay and let herself be sent back, even though that's what she'd want eventually.

She just couldn't.

Two guards ran past a hall in front of her. She tried to duck behind a suit of armor, but knocked it over in the process. In a panic, she charged through another door, running as fast as she could.

Some guards came after her.

"Stop!" one shouted.

"Oh, sure, whatever you say," one of the guards mocked. "Yeah, right, why do you even bother?"

"Shut up," said the first guard.

Applejack turned a corner and found herself at a dead end. She couldn't even jump out a window; they were too high up. She turned back towards the door, but the guards had already blocked it.

"Ha!" called a guard as they entered the room. "We have-"

A purple glow made Applejack whirl back around. A huge, swirling, purple disk appeared on one of the windows.

Applejack didn't see what happened next. Like a badly cut video, the guards were now on the floor, bound and gagged, the purple disk had disappeared, and four new ponies had appeared in the room: three unicorns and an earth pony. Two of them looked familiar.

"Roseluck?" she asked. "Pokey Pierce?"

"No!" shouted the pony she'd thought was Pokey. Applejack hadn't thought so; he was too nicely dressed up and his eyes were too harsh.

"Please," one of the unicorns said- a white unicorn with a blond mane. The four ponies turned so that Applejack could see their cutie marks. Each and every one had an hourglass.

"We are Time Guardians," said a bluish-green unicorn with magenta eyes and mane.

"You have to come with us," said Roseluck. "It's important."

The blue unicorn who wasn't Pokey came close to Applejack. His horn glowed.

The Time Guardians and Applejack were surrounded by a purple glow. The guards froze, as if someone had hit pause.

"Follow us," the white unicorn said, and they galloped out of the building. Every guard- every pony in fact- that they passed was frozen.

Applejack glanced at a clock as she ran past. The second hand was frozen, between ticks of the clock.

_Time Guardians, huh?_ she thought. _What sort of powerful magic is this?_

* * *

"Princess Twilight," Captain Rainbow Dash pleaded, "You have to give me my wings back. Only I can catch her at this point."

Princess Twilight grimaced and looked out the window. Rainbow Dash and the guards chasing her were out of sight.

"Princess," Captain Dash continued, "please. You need my-"

Princess Twilight's horn sparked, throwing pink sparks around the room.

"What?" Princess Rarity said, sounding terrified.

Princess Twilight's face collapsed in despair.

"Evidently they won't be destroyed that easily," she muttered.

She flapped her wings and launched into the air, zapping wings onto Captain Rainbow Dash as she did so.

"You will chase your past self," she told Captain Dash. "Rarity and I will get the Hunter."

* * *

_Yeah, I know, that chapter was really rushed. I find it easier to write for my OCs than for the Mane 6, probably because I feel a lot of pressure to 'get them right'. So I was racing through this because I wanted the Time Guardians to show up. I'm going to plead first draft._


	12. Arc 1 Chapter 12: Tricked Out Technician

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 12: ...Tricked-out Technician**

"Come with me, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Twilight Sparkle said. "You will find this interesting."

Twilight Sparkle looked at her friends for a moment, wondering if this could be a trap.

"You wanted to know about your future," the princess said. "Now you can."

Twilight gulped and followed at a trot.

The princess led her through long halls and down winding stairs, going ever lower until they reached the dungeon. Princess Twilight turned towards the obsidian statue of an alicorn built into one wall and blasted it with deep violet magic, causing a section of the wall to slide away and reveal a long hall. At the end of _that_ was a hole in the wall.

"Be prepared to shield if need be," said Princess Twilight Sparkle, "but normally I can control him." She inserted her horn into the wall.

The cracks between the bricks glowed with dark purple energy, and then slid aside to reveal a small room. Sunlight streamed down from a hole in the ceiling, but Twilight couldn't see anything but the silouette of a sleeping pony, even though the room was as bright as day.

"Sunlight makes him sleepy when he has no life forces to attack," Princess Twilight Sparkle said. "I used to just have a hole to the outside world, but whenever the night fell and he could see the moon through the hole, he made such dreadful noises that nopony could sleep, and Canterlot thought they were being attacked by timberwolves- I suppose you could cause his unearthly cries howl-like. Understandable, considering... I mean, about the moon being... oh, never mind. I shouldn't be talking; our enemies will have had a head start by now."

The edges of the hole gleamed with dark purple magic, and it dilated and disappeared. For a moment, the room was still dark.

Then, where the pony had been, purple flames appeared. The monster unfolded itself and unfurled its wings. It was shaped like an alicorn, with a horn like a wicked spike. It was formed of purple flames that rolled across him in waves, often parting slightly to reveal the black shape underneath.

Twilight Sparkle gasped. What was this creature? She'd never read anything like this.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"A Shadowfire," Princess Twilight replied. "It has the mind of an animal, but it can be directed against certain targets." She lowered her head and walked towards it, her horn gleaming dark purple.

Twilight Sparkle wondered why, in the future, her magic suddenly changed color. Had future Twilight's aura always been that color? She couldn't remember. Perhaps the spell was just of an unusual magic, like the magic used by King Sombra, that always appeared the same color no matter who the unicorn using it was. It wouldn't suprise her if controlling these shadowy creatures required special shadowy magic.

"Lord Shadowfire, Hunter mine," Twilight Sparkle said. It was not the royal Canterlot voice, but it did echo oddly. "You remember the instructions I gave you before. Once more you will be called on to execute them. Go now, and may the power of the sun be with you."

The Shadowfire blazed even more brightly, until he was no longer alicorn shaped, but shaped like a towering inferno. Dark purple magic surrounded him, and he slid through the ceiling.

"He will find them," Princess Twilight Sparkle said, mostly to herself. "He has never failed me."

* * *

It wasn't until they had left Canterlot and began hiking through the forests that their purple auras disappeared.

"Hey, what gives?" said the bluish-green unicorn. "We're not out of the woods yet."

"We just reached the woods," said Maybe-Roseluck.

"Ha ha ha," said the bluish-green unicorn. "But we need more protection!"

"What do you want from me?" Not-Pokey snapped, jerking his head towards her. "You can't expect me to freeze time for hours, _and_ recharge enough to create a portal home! Why oh why oh why did they only send _one_ True Time Guardian on this mission?"

"Are you complaining about their management?" the bluish-green unicorn said, looking offended.

"Yes!" said Not-Pokey.

"Maybe you can't handle it on your own," the pony with the rose-colored mane said, "but really, you have no right to complain. When you _do_ have another True Time Guardian, you complain they get in your way."

"I do not, Roseluck!" Not-Pokey snapped.

Roseluck and the bluish green pony gasped.

"You're not supposed to tell her my name!" Roseluck whispered loudly.

"Well why does it matter?" Not-Pokey demanded. "We're just going to-"

"Hush!" the bluish-green pony snapped.

The white and blond unicorn walked up to Applejack in the meanwhile. "It must have been scary, being arrested for something you didn't do," she said. "But you're a very brave pony." She hummed. "Honorable, too."

Applejack stared at her. "How do you know about me?"

"Oh," she said, smiling and tossing her mane, "of course I know about you. You _are _one of the bearers of the elements of harmony, after all." She lowered her head, and her mane fell back in front of one eye. "Honesty. So simple in concept, and yet so hard to find in anypony." She looked sadly at the pony who wasn't Pokey and sighed.

"I say we should have fetched the remaining ponies while we were there," the bluish-green pony said. "This way we'll waste energy."

"Like you care about _my _energy," Not-Pokey said, rolling his eyes. "I _could not_ sustain it any longer. There was some force resisting me and we've only just got away from it. I vote we don't go back until we've found some unicorns."

"Like they'd help you break into the castle," said the bluish-green pony.

"I wasn't going to ask!"

"Hush!" Roseluck cried, probably noticing Applejack's shocked expression.

Applejack was beginning to wish she hadn't just run off with some strange ponies. She sighed and stared at the sky.

_Well, Lord, _she prayed, _Ah know you have a reason for everything and all that. But please bless the others, and help us all to get home where we belong. Ah'm sorry Ah tried to run away; just, please, send help. Ah feel so alone._

At that instant, something flew across the sky. It had gone by pretty fast, but it had looked like a shiny silver pegasus.

"What was that?" the white unicorn asked next to her.

"What was what?" said Not-Pokey and Roseluck in unision.

The metallic pegasus flew across the sky again, and this time took its time hovering overhead before beginning slow circles.

"I don't know!" Not-Pokey said. "I may be the senior Time Guardian, but I've never traveled to this timeline before, so stop expecting me to be the expert on everything!"

The white unicorn looked shocked, and Not-Pokey shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, I'm just on edge. I shouldn't have said that, my dear."

"Er," Roseluck said, "It's coming down here."

The metallic pony dove in front of them, righting itself and slowing down to touch the earth, standing on all fours. It was not a pegasus; it was an earth pony made of metal plates. Instead of eyes, it had green glass with a light bulb behind them. These pulsed and glowed brighter.

Roseluck slowly stepped forward. "Who- or what- are you?"

The light pulsed and changed to blue.

The three unicorns twitched.

"Scatter!" Not-Pokey shouted.

In a flash, the Time Guardians lept away, leaving Applejack wondering for a fraction of a second what had just happened, before blue lasers hit the trees on either side of her. She shouted and took off through some bushes.

"Target detected!" she heard the robot pony scream in a high-pitched, broken, metalic voice. "Target detected!"

* * *

Rainbow Dash was feeling pretty confident. The other pegasi were flying abnormally fast. She wondered if any of them had been former Wonderbolts. But she had a head start and was flying at the top of her game.

Then, with a blast of colors, a blur streaked past her, leaving a rainbow behind it.

"Hey," said Captain Rainbow Dash, stopping in front of her.

Rainbow Dash gasped and climbed higher into the sky, flying over the Captain's head.

"You think you're smart," Captain Rainbow Dash said. "Redtail, Goldy, Soarin', Sunshine Skies! Formation 12!"

Rainbow Dash wished she knew what that was. She tried banking to the right into a mass of clouds, cutting through them with her nose first and using her hooves to push the clouds behind her, hoping to create a barrier for any pegasus silly enough to fly with their hooves in front. She dipped shallowly and spun further to the right, wheeling around and zooming above and to the side of her pursuers.

Two pegasi continued for the cloud bank, but none of them flew hooves first and were hardly hindered by the clouds. The other three, including Captain Dash, did a half-front-flip to reverse direction and continue after her. They flew with one above, one below, and one to the side of Rainbow Dash's current path.

Rainbow Dash poured on the speed as best as she could, but the Captain was quickly gaining on her. She flew in weaving pattens, swooping and rolling in random directions, hoping to confuse Captain Rainbow and the other pegasi. They did get confused, even the Captain- even though they thought the same way, she couldn't predict what random moves Rainbow Dash would make. But they recovered from their confusion quickly.

Rainbow Dash realized she was fighting a losing battle. All they had to do was stay on her tail until she got tired. She would have to constantly come up with new ways to keep them away from her until all five of them got tired.

She growled under her breath. She would have to do something desperate. She couldn't lose them in cloud cover- flying nose first all the time would decrease her speed, and no cloud bank was big enough to hide her long enough. She would try the forest below. It would take a skilled pegasus to weave through those trees are top speed without breaking their necks.

Rainbow Dash was sure she could do it.

But then, the Captain probably could too.

She dove in among the trees anyway, weaving through trunks by instinct, since conscious thought would have taken too long for the speed she was going at. She couldn't look back, so she couldn't tell who was following her. For all she knew, she'd lost them long ago.

She rose back above the trees and scanned for the other ponies.

That was a mistake. Captain Dash whirled through the sky and headed right for her.

Rainbow Dash shouted and propelled herself up in the air, higher and higher. And then a cloud blocked her path.

Rainbow Dash and the Captain were going too fast to stop and both smacked into the cloud, but instead of sailing through it, the cloud stuck. With their wings too gummed up to fly, the two pegasi began their fall to earth.

"No!" Captain Dash shouted. "It can't be!"

It was a cotton candy cloud.

* * *

The ponies raced through the forest, each in different directions.

Not-Pokey had gone with the white unicorn. Roseluck had gone with the bluish-green pony.

Applejack ran alone, her hooves tearing up the ground as she sped with all her might through the forest, afraid some strange metal creature was coming after her with a laser.

The metal pony flew through the forest, skimming the ground. Two other metal ponies dove from the sky and flew next to her in point formation.

"Prime Enemy detected?" asked one of them, its eyes flickering as it spoke.

The metal pony in the middle nodded. "Affirmative. Exterminate!"

The two new metal ponies broke formation and spun through the air to one side while the first one kicked off a tree and flew at an angle to her original trajectory.

The bluish-green unicorn saw the metal pony come at her and screamed, pouring on the speed. She ducked as lasers flew at her.

"Targetting," the metal pony hummed to itself.

And with another blast, the bluish green unicorn ceased running and fell to the ground.

"One down," the metal pony hummed, looping into a U-turn.

Roseluck plunged out of the trees towards the bluish green unicorn. "Oh, Bright Eyes! Don't... you're..." Roseluck burst into tears.

From the cliff she stood on, Applejack could just make out Bright Eyes' magenta eyes, staring blankly.

She'd just seen murder.

The thought froze her in place. For a pony to murder another was practically unheard of, and now it had happened right before her eyes...

A scream brought Applejack back to reality, and she whirled towards the sound and charged, head down.

The white unicorn was crouched under a rock. Two metal ponies desceneded towards her.

In a flash, a white translucent shield surrounded the two metal ponies. While they hammered away, the unicorn dashed from her hiding place, her horn glowing white.

The first metal pony slammed into the unicorn, knocking her to the earth.

"Two down," the metal pony said, aiming its hoof.

Applejack plowed into the metal pony. Not really very bright, she realized, as all that happened was the metal pony stumbled off the unicorn, while she had a massive headache.

The unicorn scrambled to her feet and started back.

"Stay where you are," said the metal pony, aiming its hoof at her.

Applejack didn't think. She just slid between the two ponies.

Pause. "Out of my way," said the metal pony.

"Nothin' doing," said Applejack.

Another pause.

_He doesn't want to shoot me,_ Applejack realized.

"You don't know who she is," said the metal pony. "You should not try to save those you know nothing about."

Applejack walked toward the metal pony. "Ah know her a heck lot more than Ah know you, you strange... freak." It was the worst insult she could think of.

The metal pony hummed.

Steam poured out of the sides of the metal pony's neck as the head lifted up on metal rods.

No, Applejack realized, not the head.

A mask.

The full head mask lifted up to reveal a flesh pony's head. Her eyes were smaller, her mane shorted, and the bow was gone, but there was no mistaking that pony.

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack said, reeling back.

"Applejack," said Apple Bloom, reaching for her older sister. Applejack flinched as the cold metal hoof touched her shoulder.

"Applejack," Apple Bloom repeated, "soon as we heard from our double agent in Canterlot that you somehow ended up in the clutches of those cruel princesses, Ah was sent here to fetch you. Come with me quickly."

Applejack just stared.

"Ah don't know you," she said.

"Applejack," said Apple Bloom, scowling. "Yer jist fussin'. You don' know what yer saying."

"You... murderer."

Apple Bloom drew back in alarm. "Applejack. I reckon you don' know anything about these times, but all's fair in love an' war, sister."

"They aren't makin' war!" Applejack shouted. "They's jist tryin' to be helpful, that's all!"

"Oh, yeah?" said Apple Bloom. "What d'you know about these Time Guardians, anyways?"

"They... they's helpin' me and my friends get home, an'..."

"Uh huh," said Apple Bloom.

She turned and seized the pony who wasn't Pokey Pierce and pointed her metal hoof at his throat. "Tell my sister the truth. Were you or were you not plannin' to wipe her memory soon as you got her to her own timeline?"

The blue unicorn stammered, "I don't make these plans, I really can't-"

"Liar!" Apple Bloom shouted, shaking the unicorn. "You don't deserve to live, you scumball!"

"Yes!" the white unicorn shreiked.

Everypony turned to stare at her.

"Yes, that's what we do, we go around erasing memories and kidnapping ponies and putting them other places in an attempt to preserve continuity or whatever that means, but apparently it's important for some reason!" The white unicorn started crying.

Nopony spoke for a moment. Then Apple Bloom turned back to Applejack.

"Come with me," she said.

Applejack lowered her head and glared at Apple Bloom.

"Only if you leave these ponies alone," she said. "Ah don't care what you say they've done, where there's life there's hope. Let them go."

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. "Ah'm gonna regret this." She turned away from Applejack. "Get up on my back. It'll be faster if we fly."

The helmet lowered back onto Apple Bloom's head, making her appear as a robot again.

Applejack hesitated, then swung herself onto her sister's back. It was cold and hard to sit on.

The other two metal ponies joined Apple Bloom, and they launched into the sky in a point formation, with Apple Bloom leading. Applejack took one last look at the Time Guardians before the trees blocked them from view.

And then she was high in the sky.


	13. Arc 1 Chapter 13: A New Friend

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, Continued**

**Chapter 13: A New Friend**

Fluttershy slowly dragged herself up the mountain. It felt like her legs were screaming at her to stop, but she made herself keep going.

It was only then that she realized she didn't remember which rock Dame Fluttershy's home was behind.

In fact, for all she knew, she passed it ten minutes ago.

She collapsed in despair, which had the added bonus of giving herself a rest while she moped.

After she got her breath back, she closed her eyes and tried to picture the rock Dame Fluttershy had gone to. Then she remembered that Dame Fluttershy had sung some kind of song to move the rock, and she couldn't remember the song either.

Tears leaked out of Fluttershy's eyes. She was hot and tired, and she had failed to help her friends.

And she was betraying her future self.

She rested her head in her hooves.

A soft paw brushed against her cheek. She lifted her head.

"Angel?" she asked. "What are you doing out here?"

The rabbit shook his head and hopped a distance away. Then he turned to Fluttershy and motioned for her to follow.

Angel led Fluttershy off the path, among more rocks and then a group of bushes. Under one bush lay a small bundle. A note was pinned to the blanket. It read "Care for her like she was your own. Maybe someday she will be."

Fluttershy gasped at the long white ears poking out of the heap of blankets. "Oh, Angel..." She reached in and gently pulled out a soft, warm... baby pony.

"Ohhhhh!" Fluttershy breathed, looking the sweet white filly over. It had lavender hair with pale yellow streaks and a shiny white horn. "Ohh, Angel! Where... how..."

The filly opened its eyes and blinked, a little confused. Fluttershy shifted to sit on her hindquarters and rocked the baby pony back and forth.

"Ohhh," said Fluttershy. "You are so sweet!"

Then reality hit her like a train.

"Angel...?" she said. "Where did you find this...?"

Angel sighed and kicked the ground with frustration. Then, to Fluttershy's surprise, he pulled a pencil from the bush and wrote at the bottom of the note:

"Her parents can't keep her anymore. They would give her to Dame Fluttershy, but I don't trust her. _Please take her_."

"I... you... you can write... Angel?"

Angel sighed heavily.

"How long could you do that? We could have communicated so much better! Oh, Angel..."

Angel kicked Fluttershy in the leg and pointed to the pony in Fluttershy's arms.

"Oh, right, about her..."

Fluttershy looked at the filly, who had gone back to sleep, smiling slightly.

"O...Okay," she said to Angel. "If you're sure about her parents..."

Angel nodded, then shooed Fluttershy off.

"_No,_ Angel. I always thought you were special, but where did you learn to write?"

Angel screamed in response, then started writhing on the ground as though in pain.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Fluttershy looked him over. "What's wrong?"

Angel wrote at the bottom of the note, "Forget the writing already! Get going before we're caught!"

"Oh, Angel..."

Angel kicked her in the leg again.

"Ow. Fine, then. But I _will_ have a long talk with your past self!"

Fluttershy took off, holding the filly in her arms. She smiled at the little creature.

As sweet as it was, she had no idea what to do with it. She'd never taken care of a baby pony before.

Fluttershy then became aware of several crosshairs focused on her body.

"TARGET DETECTED!"

* * *

Both Rainbows crashed in a field somewhere.

Rainbow Dash tried to leap back up, but she was stuck to the grass. The cotton candy kept her glued to the ground, and kept one of her wings glued to Captain Dash's wing.

Captain Dash screamed with frustration. "It's cotton candy! How strong is it supposed to be?"

"Captain?" Rainbow Dash said. "No need to scream. The other pony soldiers will probably be here in a second to arrest me and take you back. It'll be fine by your standards."

"No!" Captain Dash screamed. "It is not fine! Discord has returned, and Sparkie will be too busy crying to do anything about him!"

"Crying?"

"Oh, I don't know, she'll probably do something, but she needs me! I'm the element of Loyalty, and we might be able to make it work with... five out of six." Captain Dash shook herself. "No, what am I saying? We _have_ the element of Honesty- from the past! We need Applejack back!"

"Um..." said Rainbow Dash.

"You don't get it, do you?" said Captain Dash. "This is Discord we're talking about! He will destroy all of Equestria if we don't stop him! I need to catch Applejack- not to put her in jail, but to save everypony! And since we're stuck together, I need your participation! I need you to fly with me! I need you to help me!"

Rainbow Dash glared at Captain Dash. "How do I know that you didn't just get a unicorn to conjure up this cloud to get me to help you?"

"Do you think I would really glue my own wings to yours just to get your cooperation when I could easily have caught you as it was?"

"Do you think Discord would actually return _now_ of all times?"

"I don't have time to talk about this!"

"You'd better _find_ time, Captain, cuz I'm not going anywhere." Rainbow Dash lay down.

Captain Dash rolled her eyes with frustration. "Okay, to be honest, I don't know why Discord would come back now, either. Actually..." Captain Dash leaned over to Rainbow Dash, as if to whisper a secret. "Actually, last we heard of Discord, his statue had turned into powder."

"Really?" said Rainbow Dash. "How?"

"Pinkie Pie smashed it with a sledgehammer, I think."

"What? Why?"

"She said that we couldn't risk Discord returning again."

"Seems deep for Pinkie."

"That's what we all said. But Twilight cried about it for almost a whole day."

"Crying? Why?"

"She didn't explain. She just said something like 'time is cruel, and there is nothing we can do about it.' But the point is, he's back, and he's going to be madder than ever. He won't play games with us this time: he'll go for the kill. So that's why I _need_ you, Dashie. Please. For Equestria."

Captain Dash threw herself at Rainbow Dash's feet (twisting both of their wings in awkward positions in the process) and looked up, her eyes pleading.

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily.

"Okay," she said. "Let's go find Applejack."

Using one wing each, the pegasai took to the air.

"That's them," said Captain Dash.

"Huh?" said Rainbow Dash. "Those gray pegasus? ...yeah, I can see an orange dot there..."

"Sorry," said Captain Dash. "I forgot you wouldn't have VisEn."

"I do too have vision!"

"No, VisEn. It stands for Visual Enhancer. Um, shortly after I was appointed in charge of the millitary, I got my own personal unicorn to design spells to maximize my abilities."

"Your own personal unicorn?"

"Lilac Blue. Very bright."

"You've been using _spells_ to improve your abilities?"

"Hey, now that I'm Equestria's number one protector, I have a responsibility here."

"Oh, gee, no wonder you're testy."

"I have _responsibilities_. Ones that transcend my social life! Okay?"

"Okay, sure, whatever. But who are the gray pegasi?"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks a lot, you made me forget them. Actually, they aren't pegasi. They're the Iron Clad Crusaders."

"The Iron Clad-" Rainbow Dash began laughing hysterically.

"Not funny. They're ponies in metal suits. Their job is to protect Applejack. They are ruthless ponies who shoot intruders first and ask questions later. We need to use caution. Flap a little faster, will you?"

"What?" said Rainbow Dash. "You suggesting this is the best I can do?"

"Is it? Come on, Rainbow Dash, show me what you're made of! Show me what you can accomplish without magic, if you feel so strongly about it!"

They streaked across the sky.


	14. Arc 1 Chapter 14: Applejack and Doctor

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 14: Applejack and the Doctor**

"TARGET DETECTED!"

"Stop!" shouted Applejack

Fluttershy screamed.

"Stop," said one metal pony, flying between Apple Bloom and Fluttershy. "That's a baby pony she's carrying."

Apple Bloom muttered something unintelligable.

"That's not your Fluttershy! That's my Fluttershy!" said Applejack. "Ah mean, she came with me!"

"How do we know?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Aw, hay, just look at her."

Fluttershy was a quivering wreck, barely keeping herself in the air and closing her eyes.

"Point taken," said Apple Bloom. "Fluttershy, come with us."

"They're takin' us to Applejack," said Applejack. "Ah mean, you know, my future self."

Fluttershy opened one eye and looked at Applejack. "Okay."

"Now, where'd that little cutie come from?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, her," said Fluttershy. "Um. It's kind of a long story, but you can trust me, all right?"

"Sure," said Applejack. "Tell us on the way."

Behind them, in the far distance, flew two purple ponies.

* * *

Princess Twilight Sparkle glided through the air. Whether rising, diving, or turning, she never so much as twitched her wings. She held them straight in the air, firm as rock.

She glided, motionless as a statue, to face the other alicorn, the Hunter. The purple flaming pony turned to face her. Despite being in air, neither moved.

Then, Princess Twilight nodded at him, and moved on, alighting on a mountaintop. The Hunter had told her that she would find Fluttershy here, or at least, that she had been here. She strode regally up the mountain path, her horn glowing.

"Fluttershy," she whispered. "Come out, Flutter-"

A brown owl whipped past, followed by a yellow pegasus. As Princess Twilight watched, Dame Fluttershy pinned the owl to the ground. Her eyes were red and blooshot, and her mane was ragged.

"You... you..." Dame Fluttershy growled. Her eyes opened wide, and she Stared into the owl's eyes.

"Die," she snarled. "Now. Die! Die!"

The two kept their eyes locked together, neither blinking.

"Fluttershy," said Princess Twilight. Her voice was loaded with disappointment.

Fluttershy gave a little shriek. In that instant, the owl broke free from her grasp and flew off into the forest.

"T-twilight," she stammered. "It... I mean... he... this isn't..."

"Was that Owlicious?" Princess Twilight asked.

Fluttershy started crying. "Yes. B-b-but..."

"You were trying to kill him," said Princess Twilight. It wasn't a question. "Do you deny it?"

"N-no," Dame Fluttershy said. "B-but..."

"He is an _animal_. Fluttershy, you just tried to kill an _animal_, of all creatures."

"No! I-I mean, Twilight, it wasn't like that!"

"How was it not like that?"

Dame Fluttershy gulped. "Um. Um. Um. He started it."

"The owl started it."

"Um. Yes."

"He tried to kill you?"

"No!"

"Obviously. That would be laughable, and Owlicious is a smart owl." Princess Twilight took a step closer to Fluttershy. "Rainbow, or Diane, I would have understood. But I thought you... you... I thought that, without Kindness, you would be nothing. It seems I was wrong."

Fluttershy gasped. "No! No, Twilight, it isn't like that! I'm still true to my element!"

"Maybe," said Princess Twilight solemnly. "Maybe not. The fact of the matter is, I can't take time to ascertain that now. I have Time Guardians to take care of. But you will get a trial. That I promise."

Fluttershy sighed, relaxed. She smiled and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Until then," said Princess Twilight, turning away, "let the prophecy be fulfilled."

A spray of magenta magic arced back over Princess Twilight's head, striking Dame Fluttershy.

Princess Twilight waited until the screaming stopped to turn around. Why, she wondered, couldn't ponies who were being turned to stone choose some natural pose? Did they really need to contort themselves in some hideous posture and remind the caster what she had done?

Princess Twilight took a step closer and touched the stone Dame Fluttershy on the cheek, her face frozen mid-scream. She looked frighteningly like Discord.

She remembered an offhand comment Rainbow Dash had made about a year ago, that if Fluttershy became comparable in any way to Discord, the world must be coming to an end. It had been funny at the time.

Princess Twilight sighed.

"You will get your trial as soon as this is over," she told the statue. "I promised."

She raised her head and glared into the bright sun. She screamed at the sun, "And I always keep my promises!"

* * *

"Here we are," Apple Bloom said.

A bright, cheery sign stood before them. It was covered with apples and leaves and vines and hearts, many of which seemed to have been painted by little foals. The letters announced that this was "Sweet Apple Homes", and below, in smaller letters, the sign said: "Shelter for the homeless, safety for the lost, rest for the weary. Welcome home."

Apple Bloom pushed her hoof against a knothole in the sign's post. A keypad popped out of the hole, and she pressed a few buttons.

"Jist disabling the defense mechanisms," she said. "Come on, everypony."

The three metal ponies, Applejack, and Fluttershy started off.

They passed brightly painted houses with little foals playing on the porches. Two pegasus filles flew past them chasing a looly hoop. There were a few older ponies, but most of the ones they saw were young.

Fluttershy was still carrying the baby pony in her arms and flew beside them. Her wings were starting to ache.

Apple Bloom headed for a house painted barn red and rapped on the door with a metal hoof. "AJ? You in there? I found her! Applejack!"

The door opened, and an older version of Applejack stepped out. Her cowboy hat was gone, and her hair hung in a loose braid. She looked very tired, and when she smiled, the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Well, howdy do," she said, her accent somewhat faint. "Oh, my gosh, you look so young. So many memories..."

She stepped out of the door a bit, and Applejack saw that the back legs of her future self were encased in metal.

The future Applejack noticed Applejack staring at her legs, and sighed. "Nothing you need to worry your head about, sugarcube. Just don't worry your head about it. Come on in, darling."

Applejack trotted into a nice little kitchen that reminded her of her own home at Sweet Apple Acres. Same style, anyway. A black pegasus colt was sitting at the table coloring a picture.

"Shadow," said Applejack. "Run along and clean out the guest rooms."

"Okay Mom." Shadow dashed out of the room.

"Did... did he just call you..." Past Applejack stammered.

Before Future Applejack could answer, the pony Fluttershy was carrying started crying.

"Awww," cooed Future Applejack. "Where'd you ever pick up such a special critter? Apple Bloom! You didn't say nuthin' 'bout a newborn filly!"

Apple Bloom had taken off her helmet. "Gosh, awful sorry, Applejack. Guess it just slipped my mind."

"Oh, yes," said Future Applejack to her past self. "Ah forgot: while you and me are both here, just call me Aunt Jackie, like the kids do, and we'll jist call you Applejack like yer used to. Simpler that way."

Past Applejack nodded. "Alright, works for me."

"So," Aunt Jackie said, "Let's get us some formula for you, cutie pie." She rummaged around in a nearby cabinet and pulled out a bottle. "Jist have to heat this up... we keep it ready, since we take in so many little ponies... what's her name?"

"Her?" said Fluttershy. "Oh... oh my, I don't know if she has one. Angel didn't say..."

"Did ya expect him to?" said Applejack.

"Um, well, it's complicated," said Fluttershy.

"Well, is she yours?" Aunt Jackie asked.

"Um..." Fluttershy stared at the little filly. She took a deep breath. "Yes. She's mine. She's my child."

"Well, then, I figure you're as good a pony as ever to give her a name," said Aunt Jackie. "What d'you reckon she'll become?"

"Well..." Fluttershy held the baby pony up to the light. She examined her lavender and yellow mane, her long ears, and her shiny horn. "I... I've never named a pony before... or even thought about it much, to be honest..."

"S'no different from naming critters," said Applejack.

"Yes it is," said Fluttershy. "Gee, I-I really am not sure where to start..."

"Any personality traits you notice?" said Aunt Jackie.

"Oh, well... she sleeps pretty soundly, I guess. And even when she was awake, she hardly fussed..."

"Don' expect that pattern to hold, sister!" Apple Bloom shouted.

"But she was awfully quiet," said Fluttershy. "And calm, even when in the air... I think... I think I'll call her... Serenity."

And thus the naming was complete.

* * *

After Serenity had been given formula and a place to sleep, Fluttershy stayed to watch her new daughter, while Applejack and Aunt Jackie met on the porch of Aunt Jackie's house. They watched the little ponies play outside for a while.

"What's with all the youngsters?" Applejack asked a bit tentatively. "Ah mean... there are so many, an' not so many adults..."

Aunt Jackie hesistated. "Ya sure you want to know, Applejack?"

Applejack turned away. "What... all right, Ah watched your little sister brutally murder a pony right in front o' me. Ah think Ah can handle the details."

"Oh, nothin' involving death- Princess Twilight jist arrestin' adults left, right, and center, and the services for their kids ain't up to snuff. Plus every unicorn she can get her hooves on is forced to fuel her crazy schemes, so many ponies sent their horned foals here... to keep 'em safe." Aunt Jackie sighed. "But no, most of them have parents who are still alive. Not even Twilight is that cruel..."

"So why are you?" Applejack demanded.

"What?"

"You can't tell me that you don' know what Apple Bloom has been doing."

Applejack sighed. "You don' get it, do you? You live in this sweet, innocent world... hang on a tick, how old are you?"

"Twilight said Ah was from ten years ago, Ah figure," said Applejack.

Aunt Jackie stared into space a moment, probably calculating in her head. "That's so close... so close... tell me, Applejack, you know a stallion named Doctor Whooves?"

Applejack blinked. "Huh... Ah don' recall anypony with that there name..."

"What about Time Turner?"

"Nope."

"Brown stallion, darker brown spiky mane, hourglass cutie mark?"

Applejack frowned with concentration. "Eh... Ah got nothin'."

"Good. Hope it'll stay that way."

"Why? What'd he do?"

"Ah don' wanna scare you. Jist listen: when you meet him, he'll seem all nice and friendly, but avoid him like the plague. Don' make friends with him, don' let your other friends grow close to him, don' offer to help him, don' pity him, don' listen to him when he talks about the world apocalypse or a temporal paradox or anythin' like that, and, even if you fail all these other instructions, whatever you do, _don't_, under any circumstances, never ever _ever_ go 'travelling' with him, and don' let anypony else either! Ah would tell you to shoot him on sight, but Ah figure you wouldn't listen to me."

Applejack stared at her future self. "What... the... hay?"

"Time Guardians," Aunt Jackie growled. "They may say they're tryin' to save the world or some such, but all they care about is how they can use _you_ as a pawn in their strange mind games... for an end Ah don' care to think about. This..." she waved her hoof at the sky. "This here world, our future... the reason this is all here... why it all went downhill... It's all the Doctor's fault. Ah can' explain why so easy... too complicated. But he's the reason my friends all fell aside... the reason why the princesses fell... the reason why the elements of harmony are all dyin'. Ah don' know if our world can be salvaged, but if you could only carry one piece of advice from here back home, Ah'd tell you to remember this..." She took Applejack's hooves in her own. "The Doctor is your enemy. That's what you need to know."

* * *

_Author's note: I reserve the right to tease my readership as often as I want with_ Doctor Who _references_,_ but I'd like to take this opportune moment to reaffirm that__ this universe doesn't cross over with the _Doctor Whoniverse_ in any appreciable way._


	15. Arc 1 Chapter 15: A Spoonful of Sugar

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 15: Spoonful of Sugar**

The two Rarites, the two Pinkie Pies, and Spike remained in the throne room.

"Can I leave?" Diane Pie asked. "I have... a life."

"Hmm," said Princess Rarity. "I don't know... what's the rush, at any rate? Your show is over."

"I have to... do stuff, ya know?" said Diane Pie.

Princess Rarity raised an eyebrow. "'Stuff'? You have to do 'stuff'? Really, darling? Isn't that some sort of... code word?"

Diane Pie half-growled, half-shrieked. "Okay! I have to take my absolutely necessary life-saving medicine and you're keeping me from it! Let me through!"

"_No_, Diane!" said Princess Rarity. "I won't let you! Ever since you started taking that... foul concoction, you haven't been the same! I've had enough! Your past self reminded me how much fun you used to be, how light-hearted and kind, and I. Want. You. Back." She lowered her head and glared at Diane Pie.

Diane Pie lowered her head and glared right back. "If you don't let me take my medicine, _Equestria will perish in fire and brimstone!_" she declared.

After a pause, Princess Rarity said, "I think I'm willing to take that chance."

Diane Pie screamed, and all the stained glass windows in the throne room shattered. All the tapestries burst into flame. Thorny black plants broke through the floor tiles.

"O-Okay!" said Princess Rarity, starting back. "Calm down, Diane! Please!"

"I'm not fine!" Diane Pie shouted. "Nothing is fine!"

The sun went out.

Nopony could see anything and there was general panic, but Pinkie Pie could still tell where Diane Pie was. So, unfazed, she trotted after her future self. Diane Pie was obviously trying to be quiet.

After they'd left the castle, the sun came back on, but by then there were no guards to see them. Diane Pie broke into a full gallop, not that this hindered Pinkie Pie in the slightest. Once Pinkie Pie set her sights on following a pony, she always caught it. She initiated 'Pursuit' and made it to Diane Pie's house before she did.

Diane Pie pulled open the medicine cabinet and took out a black bottle. It looked frighteningly familiar to Pinkie Pie. She could just make out the label: _Doctor Diabo Losexma China's Depressant and Suppressant._

"What do you think you're doing?" Pinkie cried, leaping from behind the sofa.

Diane Pie jumped. "I... it's... it's my medicine," she said lamely.

"What are you doing with that black garbage? Don't you remember what happened to you last time? Do you want to go back to those horrible days on the rock farm? What would your parents say if they-"

"My parents?" said Diane Pie. "Don't talk to me about parents! My parents are the reason this whole mess got started! You know why? Because they decided they wanted a kid, that's why! Never mind what _I_ thought about the matter! This! Is! Their! Stupid! Fault!" She punctuated the last sentence by smashing the black bottle against the wall, which then regrew in time for her to smash it again.

Pinkie Pie stared at her for a moment. "How much?"

"I'm up to half a glass," said Diane Pie.

"Wha-at? How can you _live_ like this? Don't you remember how things used to be? Don't you want to smile again?"

Diane Pie turned away and started pouring the thick, black, syrupy liquid into a small glass. She didn't answer the question until she'd licked the glass clean. Then she put the bottle back and collapsed on a nearby couch.

"You think everything's just wonderful, don't you?" she said. "Your world is happy and bright and cheery. Never a bad day... at least nothing permanently horrible... you just go on your merry way, smiling and laughing, poking holes in the fabric of reality like there's no tomorrow. Wait until you grow up and things start falling through those holes. And are lost forever. Then you'll understand." Tears appeared in Diane Pie's eyes. "That's why... I have... to do this. That's why... I live like this." She started crying in earnest. "I hate my life. I hate it, hate it, hate it. And I can't fix it... I can't escape... that black stuff digs me into a deeper hole of depression every day, but I need it. It keeps me sane. It stops me from plunging off a cliff into madness and dragging the whole planet with me. I hate it. But I need it..." she turned aside and mashed her face into the arm of the couch, sobbing.

Pinkie Pie hesitated, then reached out a hoof and rubbed her future self's shoulder. There seemed to be nothing to say at that moment.

Diane Pie seized both of Pinkie Pie's hooves. "Pinkie... if I had to... tell you one thing, to try and fix your timeline..." She brushed a few tears from her eyes. "Don't ever grow up. Stay your young, perky, fun-loving juvenile self forever. Stay a child. Whatever you do... don't ever grow up." She pulled Pinkie Pie into a hug.

"Aw..." said Pinkie Pie. "I'm sorry I made such a fuss..."

"It's okay..." said Diane Pie. "You didn't understand..." she paused. "Would you like... to see... what happened?"

"O-Okay," said Pinkie Pie.

"Go ahead," said Diane Pie, bowing her head. "I'm ready."

They paused for a moment.

"You may begin," said Diane Pie.

"Begin what?" said Pinkie Pie.

Diane lifted her head and blinked. "Don't you know how to 'Initiate and Enter Flashback'?"

"Noooo!"

"Didn't Starswirl teach you?"

"Nope!"

"Oh, well..." Diane Pie leapt off the couch. "But that's terribly important! You _need_ to know how to 'Initiate and Enter Flashback'! Here, I'll show you!"

Pinkie Pie smiled. "Okie Dokie Lokie!"


	16. Arc 1 Chapter 16: Loyalty and Serenity

**My Little Pony: Through Space and Time**

**Arc 1, continued**

**Chapter 16: Loyalty and Serenity**

The only remaining ponies were the two Rarities.

And Spike.

Spike was lying on the floor, very still.

"Spikey?" said non-Princess Rarity. "Something wrong?"

Spike just moaned.

Non-Princess Rarity rolled Spike on his back and gasped. A patch of scales on Spike's chest had turned gray.

"What?" said Princess Rarity. "How can this be? I thought you were from ten years ago!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" said non-Princess Rarity.

"Spike- _our _Spike- didn't start turning gray until a year ago! Why is your Spike doing it so fast?"

There was a pause.

"Maybe it's something in the future air," said non-Princess Rarity.

"Maybe... maybe Spike _wasn't_ born with it after all!" said Princess Rarity excitedly. "I can't wait to tell... oh... where is Twilight?"

* * *

With a snap and a flash of light, the cotton candy cloud vanished.

The two Rainbow Dashes pulled away from each other and righted themselves quickly.

"Captain," said Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, Princess, um..."

"Does this mean you've captured Rainbow Dash, or has Rainbow Dash captured you?"

"Er, both, um, actually, we were just chasing down Applejack to try and stop Discord because, uh, cotton candy, you know..."

"I'm not in a believing mood right now, Captain Dash, so I suggest you do something to show me your loyalty. I've already had to deal with Fluttershy..."

"Fluttershy?" said Captain Dash. "You... Twilight, you didn't..."

"Where's Applejack?" said Princess Twilight.

"I-I don't know, we lost the crusader we were following..."

"Don't tell me you don't know," said Princess Twilight Sparkle. "I know what you've been doing. I've seen you leave on those secret visits. I hoped I could trust you, but apparently Loyalty is failing... and you know about failure... Honesty will twist and warp, and it has. Kindness will seal herself in stone, and she has."

"Sparkie?" said Captain Dash.

"Do you know what Loyalty's betrayal will end in?" said Princess Twilight.

"No!" Captain Dash shouted. "Look, maybe I helped Applejack a bit, but I'm only loyal to you!"

"Oh?" said Princess Twilight.

"Hey!" said Rainbow Dash. "Who do you think you are, Miss Princess?" She flew up to Princess Twilight and poked her in the chest. "I don't care if you _are_ the ruler of Equestria, Rainbow Dash has more than one friend! How can you make her choose between them like this?"

"Dash," said Captain Dash, "Please stay out of this..."

"Applejack is a criminal," said Princess Twilight.

"What was her crime?" said Past Rainbow Dash.

"Defaming royalty and-"

"You mean telling you and everypony else that you're a stuck up selfish manipulative jerk?" Rainbow Dash demanded. "Well, duh! That's not Applejack _betraying_ her element! That's just Honesty's job, you blind old bat!"

"Rainbow Dash!" said Princess Twilight Sparkle, her horn glowing magenta. "Silence!"

And though Past Rainbow Dash's mouth kept moving, no sound came out.

"Captain," said Princess Twilight Sparkle, brushing the angry Past Rainbow Dash aside, "tell me once more: are you Loyalty?"

Captain Dash glanced at the ground for a moment, then raised her eyes with a bold look. "I will _never_ betray you, Twilight Sparkle. Never. Never! _Never!_"

"Good," said Princess Twilight. "Now, let us recapture Applejack once and for all, shall we? Your soldiers are waiting for you."

Captain Dash looked over Princess Twilight's shoulder at the approaching pegasi. Scootaloo was leading them.

She took a few deep breaths. "Okay. Okay. All right! Let's do this!" and she zoomed off. The pegasi followed her in formation, and Princess Twilight majestically brought up the rear.

Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash followed... just to watch.

* * *

Fluttershy sat on a porch swing with Serenity in her arms, feeding her formula. Serenity hiccupped, and Fluttershy giggled.

"Such a special feeling," Aunt Jackie sighed. "Ah'm so glad she found you, Fluttershy."

"I'm so glad I found her," said Fluttershy. "I never really... well, of course I thought about being a mother before. It's hard not to think about it. But I never thought..." she sighed blissfully. "You are so sweet, Serenity..."

"Ah know how you feel," said Aunt Jackie. "Ah'd dreamed of being a mother, but Ah never thought Ah'd become mother to dozens of foals without their parents around. But now here they all are..." Aunt Jackie waved her hoof towards some fillies having a picnic. "Each of 'em oh so special, all of 'em needing my help. Each of 'em so precious."

"So precious..." Fluttershy repeated as Serenity finished her bottle. Fluttershy nuzzled the baby pony gently. "Who... who do you think her mother is? I don't suppose you know?"

"What you saying?" said Aunt Jackie. "You're her mother. Nopony better. Her parents must have given her to you for a reason. And she's become your own now."

"My very own little filly," Fluttershy sighed. "I-I can't believe it."

"Keep her safe," said Aunt Jackie. "These aren't good times for a little pony. She needs you."

Fluttershy nodded. The two just sat in silence for a minute.

"Ah need to get dinner started," said Aunt Jackie. "You just stay with Serenity a moment."

She went back into the house.

Fluttershy just rocked Serenity back and forth a bit. "Hush, now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head," she sang.

Suddenly she froze. It was an entirely involuntary action on her part. She felt like she'd suddenly been encapsulated by metal and could no longer move a muscle.

A blue, white-maned unicorn in a fancy suit trotted out from behind a nearby wood pile. His horn was glowing. He crept up to Fluttershy, whispered, "Sorry," and snatched Serenity from her arms. Then, levitating the baby pony in front of him, he dashed off towards the nearby forest.

Fluttershy inhaled sharply. Of course she couldn't see the spell forcing her to remain still, but she felt like it had shattered to pieces. She launched herself off the edge of the porch and flew after Serenity's captor.

She paused only twice, to ask directions from forest creatures, and so it didn't take her long to find the blue unicorn. He was staring at a tree. Serenity was nowhere in sight.

Fluttershy dove on top of the unicorn and pinned him to the ground. Their eyes met, and she poured all her fury into her glare.

She'd never used The Stare on a pony before, but she could tell by his expression that it had worked. The unicorn went limp and just stared back at her, terrified.

"Where. Is. She?" Fluttershy growled.

The unicorn swallowed hard and stammered for a bit before he found his voice.

"Sh-she's gone," he said. "Y-y-you can't find her."

"Don't say that," said Fluttershy. "What have you done with her?"

The unicorn seemed to have difficulty breathing as he prepared to answer the question.

"You... you want her to be safe, right?" he said.

"Of course," said Fluttershy.

"You... can't keep... her safe if... you keep her," said the blue unicorn. "You will destroy her..."

"How do you know?" Fluttershy almost snarled.

"Can't... space time continuum... can't you just..." The blue unicorn touched Fluttershy as though he was going to push her off, but there was no force behind it. "She'll have a good home... good parents... everything you'd want for her, but you. Can't. Keep. Her."

Fluttershy sucked in her breath. "I will only ask you one more time. Where is Serenity?"

"If you wait too long, your... robot... thingy will find me," said the unicorn. "Do you think she'll hesitate to shoot me on sight?"

Fluttershy didn't answer.

"Keep me here," said the unicorn, "and you will become my murderer."

"That's not true!" Fluttershy half-whined.

"If I die," said the unicorn, "I can't protect her. And I want to keep her safe more than you can understand."

Fluttershy hadn't turned The Stare off voluntarily, but apparently it had worn off. Both she and the unicorn were blinking normally again, and he didn't seem to be in pain anymore.

_Oh God,_ Fluttershy prayed, _please don't let this be the wrong choice. Please keep Serenity safe._

Fluttershy slowly flapped her wings and rose into the air. The unicorn stood up.

"Thank you," he whispered.

He turned back to the tree, and his horn started glowing.

A shiny purple-blue portal appeared in the wide tree trunk.

"STOP!" a robotic voice called. "STOP THAT TIME GUARDIAN!"

The blue unicorn looked over his shoulder, then stepped through the blue portal, which closed behind him.

Apple Bloom, once again in full armor, skidded to a halt next to the tree. "You let him get away!" She shouted to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground and turned away, letting her mane hide her face like she used to do back when she was even shier. "I had to," she whispered. "For Serenity."

Apple Bloom didn't say anything for a while. Then she nodded.

"Ah am so sorry," she said.

"Don't worry," said Fluttershy, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She faced the tree trunk. "She's in God's hands now."

The two of them stood there for a while, then they slowly made their way back out of the forest.

They had almost made it out when Fluttershy heard a strange beeping noise.

Apple Bloom pressed a button on her shoulder. "That was my smoke detector," she explained.

There was a pause. Then Apple Bloom launched into the air and flew out of the forest at top speed.

Fluttershy followed as fast as she was able.

"No!" Apple Bloom was screaming. "No!"

As she emerged from the tree cover, Fluttershy saw the flames.

Sweet Apple Homes was on fire.


End file.
